Indonesia's Komdigi Denies Ordering Restrictions on Forest Fire Posts
Indonesia's Communication and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid said on October 21, 2026, that her ministry had neither taken down land and forest fire content nor asked social media platforms to restrict it. Her denial followed reports of removed posts and falling view counts, while digital-rights group SAFEnet called for disclosure of how restrictions are imposed.
Users report removals and reduced reach
Several Indonesian social media users and public figures had reported problems sharing information about the fires. In an October 17 report, Tempo cited influencer Alwi Johan Yogatama as saying Instagram had removed his video of yellow haze over Kalimantan. Two users, Intan and Farida, reported that their Instagram Story views dropped from more than 200 to as few as four after they posted about the fires.
Those reports have not established whether platforms were shadowbanning the content. SAFEnet Executive Director Nenden Sekar Arum told detikINET on October 21 that confirming the practice would require access to platform data and internal decision-making processes. She said she could not confirm that shadowbanning had occurred.
Meutya calls for platform explanations
In her statement in Jakarta, Meutya said information posted by citizens helps officials respond more quickly to fires. Government agencies have stepped up fire updates through their official social media accounts, she said, using services including TikTok, Instagram, and Threads. She also said the government welcomes factual and reliable reports from the public.
Addressing concerns about hidden or restricted posts, Meutya urged technology companies to explain their algorithms and the limits set by their community guidelines. Such disclosures, she said, would help people understand why platforms display some posts and restrict others.
"Komdigi is actually encouraging accountability and transparency in the platforms' algorithms. Because what we see and consume on social media should be a matter of choice for users as consumers, not solely determined by technology companies," she said.
Meutya directed people whose fire-related posts or accounts had been restricted to file complaints or appeals with the relevant platform. They could also notify the government, she said, so officials could take the issue up with platform managers.
SAFEnet's demands also addressed the ministry's role: the group urged Komdigi to explain the legal grounds for every content-restriction request, disclose its moderation practices, and ensure affected users receive effective notices and opportunities to appeal.
Earlier monitoring documented Komdigi requests
A separate monitoring effort by SAFEnet and Remotivi, published under the Koalisi Damai coalition on September 8, 2026, documented 73 moderation actions involving lawful citizen criticism in Indonesia from April through August. The groups attributed 66 cases, or 90.4%, to Komdigi requests and seven cases, or 9.6%, to platforms' own community guidelines.
X accounted for the largest share of the recorded actions at 74%, followed by Instagram at 12.3% and Threads at 9.6%. The monitoring also documented Komdigi's geoblocking of posts by Malaysian citizens criticizing the handling of forest fires in Kalimantan, making that content inaccessible from Indonesia.
Court requires notice before access is cut off
The dispute comes after a Constitutional Court decision requiring the government to provide notice before cutting off access to electronic content. In ruling No. 311/PUU-XXIV/2026, decided September 29 and published October 2, the court held that the government must first issue a digital notification or written notice explaining its reasons.
Komdigi said it was studying the ruling, including whether its content-moderation procedures would need to change.