Ministry to sanction social media operators not deleting hoaxes

The Communication and Informatics Ministry will impose sanctions on social media and web operators who do not delete hoaxes on their pages.

Semuel Abrijani, the ministry's director general of application and informatics, told the press here on Saturday that sanctions comprise administrative sanctions, fines and page shutdowns.

"Even, if they (operators) continue to do so, they will be charged with (criminal) law," he said during a press conference organized with the National Police spokesman.

The sanctions will become effective when a revision of the Government Regulations (PP) No 82 year 2012 on Implementation of Electronic Transaction and System is passed.

"We are revising PP 82 to oblige the (social media) platforms (operators) to actively clean up hoaxes," he said.

The Government will impose stern action and take down the accounts of those disseminating hoaxes.

The ministry has imposed restrictions on access to social media platforms, such as Whatsapp, Facebook and Instragram on May 22 to 25, following a clash between demonstrators and police officers during a rally to protest the 2019 election results announced by the General Election Commission (KPU) on May 22 at dawn.

Millions of Whatsapp, Instagram and Facebook users where unable to access the social media platforms, either partly or wholly, from May 22 to May 25, 2019, as the Government wanted to restrict dissemination of photos, videos and information regarding the rally that turned violent from the evening of May 21 until the morning of May 22.

During the clash, at least eight demonstrators were killed, including three teenagers, and hundreds were injured, along with nine police officers.

Following the clash, videos showing brutal actions by security officers against demonstrators and paramedics went viral on social media platforms.

The Indonesian Police have since promised to set up a team to investigate the deaths of the demonstrators.

Chief of the Indonesian Police, General Tito Karnavian, has appointed Commissioner General Moechgiyarto, inspector of the Police General Supervision, to lead the investigation team.