Wikimedia completes Indonesia registration under threat of ban

JAKARTA – The organisation that oversees Wikipedia said April 30 it completed the registration required to operate in Indonesia after the government threatened to block its services.

Under a 2020 regulation, all electronic system providers (PSEs) must register in Indonesia for what the government called legal and user protection purposes before making their services available.

Critics have said a provision in the rule requiring registered PSEs to take down content deemed as “causing public unrest and disturbing public order” is a restriction on free speech.

The Wikimedia Foundation, which owns and operates Wikipedia, had previously said the provision “departs from international human rights norms”.

But the foundation said on April 30 it had explained to the Indonesian government its concerns regarding user privacy, editorial independence and the preservation of the volunteer-run model of Wikimedia projects.

It said the communications ministry “provided a written assurance” that its registration cannot be used by the government to moderate content or disclose data in a way that would undermine the organisation’s business model.

The foundation noted it had completed the registration process for the Wikipedia application, but its registration for the Wikipedia website was delayed “due to an error on the registration site”.

The ministry did not respond to an AFP request for comment.

Earlier in April, Indonesia gave Wikimedia seven days to register or have its services, including Wikipedia Indonesia, blocked in the country of about 284 million people.

In October 2025, Indonesia briefly suspended TikTok’s local operating licence after the social media platform refused to share information sought by Jakarta about violent anti-government protests earlier in the year. AFP