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By APD writer Maverick
JAKARTA, April 3 (APD) — Indonesia warned against Facebook over the concerns on misuse of national user data and spread of fake news in the social media content ahead to the upcoming presidential election in the country.
The warning was conveyed by Indonesia’s Communication and Information Minister Rudiantara following revelations that data of 50 million Facebook users was given to an agency to support Donald Trump in his campaign to seize the United States presidency.
Speaking in an interview on Tuesday, the ministry said that he can shut down Facebook operation if the social media was proved of harvesting Indonesian data users for its particular interests related to the election in Indonesia.
Citing to his previous move in shutting down Telegram apps for security concerns, the minister said that he can do it again if it is considered necessary.
“If I have to shut them down, then I will do it. I have no hesitation to do it again,” the Indonesian minister pointed out.
Indonesia has massive number of 115 million Facebook users from over 260 million of its
population.
Rudiantara said that his ministry would ask confirmation from Facebook that no national user data was misused by Cambridge Analytica, the political data company whose role in Donald Trump’s presidential campaign has drawn public concerns for its alleged improper use of private Facebook data.
He said that should Facebook fails to give the conformation, he would chase them by asking the police to undertake investigation into the case.
Conveying his message to social media operators, the minister said that if they cannot manage their platforms to support the stability in Indonesia, their presence is not merely for business. “It’s for something else,” he added.
Fake news containing sensitive issues in the country have been sprawling in the social media in the last several years, threatening the nation’s unity and stability.
Indonesian government has set up a national cyber agency aimed at clamping down the spread of fake news and radical contents in the social media as well. Police have also arrested those running
fake news in the social media.
According to the minister social media operating in Indonesia could face serious penalties should they fail to comply with Indonesia’s 2016 decree that regulates protection of personal information.
The penalties would include administrative and criminal sanctions, he added.
Citing the criminal sanction, he said that should Facebook proved of breaching the law, the Facebook employees may face 12-year imprisonment and being fined up to 12 billion rupiah (about
837,000 U.S. Dollars).
Indonesia was scheduled to see a presidential election next year whose process would commence in October this year.
The incumbent president, Joko Widodo, has won more approvals from the people than the other national figures possibly nominated to take challenge him the election, according to results of surveys.
So far no other candidate has been officially nominated to take on President Widodo ahead of the presidential election process.
（ASIA PACIFIC DAILY）
