As the largest social media on the web, Facebook has a massive influence. And Indonesia doesn't want to be affected by Facebook's problem.
The social media giant has been under fire since the Cambridge Analytics scandal. The Indonesian governments kindly asked Facebook to explain itself following that data scandal.
Indonesia's communication minister Rudiantara, threatened to ban and block Facebook, if there is evidence that the company has harvested personal data of Indonesians, found to not be complying with Indonesian regulations, or if its being used to influence Indonesia's 2019 presidential election with "fake news".
"If I have to shut them down, then I will do it," Rudiantara said.
This threat also applies to other social networks, like Twitter and YouTube. But both have previously agreed to work with the government to monitor content.
With Indonesia preparing for its presidential election, and President Joko Widodo is set to start this campaign, concerns are rising whether social media networks, especially Facebook, can influence voters, as what they were allegedly did during the 2016 U.S. election which won Donald Trump.
"If you are not able to manage your platform to support the stability of Indonesia that means your intention to be in Indonesia is not for business, it’s for something else," continued Rudiantara.
Indonesia is the largest nation in the Southeast Asia, the most populous, and also the largest in economy. Accounting to the fourth-largest Facebook users globally, with 130 million people registered, if a nationwide block would be applied, this will certainly put a huge dent on Facebook.
Along with other social media platforms that fail to comply with a 2016 decree on the protection of personal information, Rudiantara said that Facebook could face severe penalties.
"There are administrative sanctions. I can issue the warning letter to them. There will also be criminal sanctions," he said. Facebook employees could face up to 12 years in jail and a fine of up to 12 billion rupiah ($873,000). "I want an undertaking that there were no Indonesian Facebook users whose information or data was used by Cambridge Analytica," he said. "If that is the case, I can chase them, ask the police."
Indonesia has previously blocked Telegram in 2017 for failing to address terror-related contents on its platform. But the ban has been lifted after the company acknowledged the issue and cooperate by blocking terror-related channels and creating a reporting hotline, with founder Pavel Durov and the ministry having a direct channel of communication to allow them to work more efficiently in identifying and blocking terrorist groups and propaganda.
Rudiantara has also banned Tumblr and forced messaging apps to remove emojis that support LGBTQ and adult-related contents, and has also threatened Google after concerns about it not paying tax in Indonesia.