JakartaPost-July 26
Human rights activists have raised concerns over the new communications minister’s plan to form a social media surveillance team, expressing fear that the move could stifle free expression online. On July 17, Communications and Information Minister Budi Arie Setiadi told reporters that the country needed an agency to monitor “disturbing” content on social media. “We find a lot of content on social media containing disturbing messages. Maybe soon we’ll need a social media monitoring agency,” Budi said. A week later, the new minister claimed during a press briefing that the monitoring plan would uphold democratic principles while preventing conflict and commotion. Should the government decide to move forward with the monitoring, it would not suppress free speech on online platforms, the minister pledged. But critics are worried that the agency could become a tool for mass surveillance. Such government monitoring could discourage open online discussion and prevent people from voicing their opinions, said Wahyudi Djafar, the executive director of the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (Elsam). The government could file requests for social media platforms to take down or block content deemed in violation of the country’s laws, such as the Criminal Code (KUHP) or the Electronic Information and Transaction (ITE) Law. Damar Juniarto, executive director of the Southeast Asian Freedom of Expression Network (SAFEnet), cited the European Union’s Digital Service Act (DSA) as an example of a model framework for regulating online content. Its definition of illegal content includes content that promotes sexual harassment, suicidal ideas or terrorism. Wahyudi and Damar were also both concerned about the institutional position of the agency, suggesting that such a body should be independent rather than serve under a ministry. Read more at: https://www.thejakartapost.com/paper/2023/07/26/social-media-monitoring-agency-could-curb-free-speech-activists-warn.html.
