The Indonesian government is considering a new policy to restrict social media ownership to one account per person. Although still under review, the proposal has sparked public concern that it could pose a threat to freedom of expression and privacy rights.
Researcher at the Center for Digital Society (CfDS), Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (Fisipol UGM), Bangkit Adhi Wiguna, argued that addressing the spread of hoaxes, misinformation, disinformation, and harmful content in Indonesia’s digital sphere is not a matter of limiting the number of accounts a person can own.
Instead, Wiguna warned that such a policy would create injustice and restrict public freedom of expression, as many users maintain multiple accounts for legitimate reasons.
“Some people have multiple social media accounts for important purposes, such as business,” he said on Monday (Sep. 29).
Wiguna also raised concerns about the risks of data verification and authentication if the policy were to be implemented.
He highlighted Indonesia’s weak data infrastructure, both in terms of technology and security.
“Our data infrastructure is still very fragile. Breaches happen frequently, and data management remains ineffective,” the researcher explained.
While he acknowledged that the intention behind the proposed policy is to protect social media users from illegal and harmful content, Wiguna stressed that the policy design is misguided.
“The chosen policy design is flawed because the way the problem is being framed is already wrong. As a result, a good intention ends up restricting public freedom of expression,” he said.
He further emphasized that the direction of this policy proposal points more toward restricting freedom of expression rather than protecting social media users.
Currently, Wiguna and the CfDS UGM team are conducting an in-depth study on this issue, focusing on digital security while safeguarding freedom of expression.
“We are studying the potential implementation or adaptation of this model in Indonesia. Our main focus now is the Digital Services Act (DSA), as it emphasizes user protection, while the Digital Markets Act (DMA) focuses more on marketplaces and the digital economy,” he explained.
At the global level, two models of regulation can serve as reference points: the European Union’s DSA and DMA.
In Europe, social media governance is regulated through the DSA, which ensures that regulatory bodies remain relatively independent from political interests.
Although the DSA model may seem more complex, Wiguna noted that it remains flexible for application in Indonesia.
For example, to cut off access or take down content, features, or even an entire platform, the DSA requires a lengthy procedure.
The model also obligates platforms to publish annual reports on content moderation, including the number of content removals and the parameters used. Meanwhile, governments must report the number of takedown requests they issue.
“This makes regulation more independent and proportionate,” he concluded.
Author: Salwa
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Rajendra Arya
Illustration: Freepik