JAKARTA: Indonesia’s government has suspended the operating licence of video-sharing app TikTok because the social media platform refused to share data about recent anti-government protests, the ministry of communication and digital affairs said on Friday.
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Indonesia has the second biggest audience on TikTok, owned by China’s Bytedance, with more than 100 million users.
The ministry said it had “temporarily suspended” the app’s operating licence for failing to provide adequate data on its live feature’s activities during anti-government protests in August.
Alexander Sabar, director general of digital space supervision, said in the statement, “This step is a form of the government’s firmness after TikTok only provided partial data.”
The government asked TikTok for traffic and other data related to “the alleged monetisation” of live activities from accounts suspected of online gambling.
Also, the ministry said TikTok was given until September 23 to submit data but failed to do so.
TikTok said it respects the laws of the markets it operates in.
A spokesperson said in a statement TikTok was working closely with the ministry “… while remaining committed to safeguarding user privacy and ensuring that our platform provides a safe and responsible experience for the community in Indonesia”.
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The platform’s live feature was still available on Friday evening.
Meanwhile, TikTok has faced a series of challenges in operating in Indonesia.
The video-sharing app temporarily suspended its live feature in August because of violent protests after the death of a man hit by a police vehicle.
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On Monday, Indonesia’s antitrust agency fined TikTok $900,000 for failing to notify regulators in time about its acquisition of e-commerce platform Tokopedia.
Its ecommerce feature was also suspended by the government in 2023 after it moved to help small businesses.
Later, it bought a 75 per cent stake in Tokopedia, Indonesia’s largest ecommerce platform, bringing together their shopping arms.