Communications Minister to Decide Wikipedia's Fate Today, Faces Blockade Tomorrow

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - The Minister of Communications and Digital (Menkomdigi), Meutya Hafid, has provided the latest update on the fate of Wikipedia in Indonesia.

Menkomdigi stated that a meeting between the government and Wikipedia representatives will take place today, Thursday (23/4).

“There will be a summons issued tomorrow,” Meutya said during a press conference at the Ministry of Komdigi office on Wednesday (22/4/2026).

Meutya indicated that the process is still ongoing. “We’ll provide an update later,” she said briefly.

Last week, the Ministry of Communications and Digital (Komdigi) issued an ultimatum to the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit organisation that operates the online encyclopaedia Wikipedia, among others.

Komdigi demanded that they complete the registration process as a Penyelenggara Sistem Elektronik (PSE). If not, the Wikipedia website faces the threat of being blocked.

The Wikimedia Foundation was given 7 working days to register. Director General of Digital Space Supervision Alexander Sabar assured that the ministry would not hesitate to impose sanctions, as the given timeframe was already sufficiently long.

Previously, Komdigi had notified Wikimedia to register since 14 November 2025. However, they subsequently requested an extension, and to this day, the registration obligation has not been fulfilled.

In the latest extension of 7 days, the Wikimedia Foundation is expected to promptly complete the PSE registration process in accordance with applicable regulations. If there is still no compliance with Indonesian law, we will take firm action in the form of blocking,” Alex emphasised, quoted from his official statement on Friday (17/4).

The blockade will be imposed on Wikimedia services. Not only Wikipedia, but the impact of this policy will also apply to Wikimedia Commons.

Platforms operating in Indonesia are required to register as PSE. These rules are outlined in Minister of Communication and Informatics Regulation No. 5 of 2020 on Private Scope Electronic System Operators, including sanctions for non-compliant parties ranging from written warnings to service blockades.

PSE registration is carried out free of charge and is applied equally, whether for for-profit or non-profit platforms.