Kominfo Will Create A Social Media Council Similar To The Press Council, What Is Its Function?

Minister of Communication and Information Budi Arie Setiadi (photo: dock. ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Minister of Communication and Information Budi Arie Setiadi again revealed that the Indonesian government will create a Social Media Council to regulate content on social media.

The formation of this Council is based on a proposal from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and will have a function similar to that of the Press Council.

He also said that this DMS will become the government's strategic partner in social media management, including to ensure freedom of press and freedom of expression in the digital space.

In fact, the plan to form this DMS is not up to the new one. Instead, it has been planned since August 2023. At that time, the Director General of Information and Communications of Kominfo Usman Kansong told VOI that they were still in the assessment stage.

UNESCO itself on its official website says that the purpose of this DMS is to strengthen public resilience to the spread of potentially harmful content online, particularly hate speeches that incite violence while protecting freedom of expression and enhancing promotion of peace through digital technology, especially social media.

Usman and Budi also emphasized that the existence of this Social Media Council will certainly not limit the freedom of expression and freedom of public opinion on social media.

However, the implementation of this DMS will be different from the Digital Services Act (DSA) which is now in effect in the European Union. This DSA is actually used as a guideline for the government in the formation of Presidential Regulation (Perpres) Publisher Rights.