Expert: Kominfo's surprise inspection of Meta to reinforce Indonesia's digital sovereignty
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Cybersecurity expert Pratama Persadha has said that the surprise inspection carried out by the Ministry of Communications and Digital to Meta’s offices represents the government’s effort to uphold Indonesia’s digital sovereignty in the face of a global tech company.
Pratama explained that Meta’s compliance with national regulations is less than 30 percent, and that this affects not only administrative aspects but also the government’s ability to protect citizens in the digital space.
“When compliance is low, the state’s capacity to protect its citizens in the digital space is reduced. In this context, the sidak is not merely a symbol of firmness but an instrument to strengthen digital sovereignty,” said Pratama in a statement in Jakarta on Friday.
The head of cybersecurity research institute CISSReC explained that national regulations are designed to protect personal data, ensure responsible content moderation, and curb the spread of illegal content on the internet. According to him, if platform compliance is low, the state’s capacity to protect its citizens in the digital space will be reduced.
Therefore, Pratama views the sidak led by Minister of Communications and Digital Meutya Hafid as not only a symbol of government firmness but also an instrument to strengthen Indonesia’s digital sovereignty.
The involvement of several other bodies such as the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), the National Cyber and Crypto Agency (BSSN), the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), and the Police in the sidak indicates that the issue of platform compliance has been positioned as a national security matter requiring cross-sector coordination.
Pratama also emphasised that algorithms on digital platforms are essentially information-power infrastructure because they determine what content becomes viral and which narratives gain traction in the public space.
“If the state does not understand and supervise the direction of algorithmic work, the national public space could effectively be controlled by global commercial logic,” he said.
Nevertheless, Pratama acknowledged that confronting large multinational companies like Meta is not easy because developing countries’ bargaining power is often not dominant.
He argued that this condition occurs partly because Indonesians are large users of global digital platforms, while Meta’s representatives in Indonesia often do not have full authority to determine company policy at the central level.
In a broader sense, Pratama assessed that the sidak is part of Indonesia’s effort to seek a model of internet regulation that balances freedom of expression, technological innovation, and protection of national security.
He added that when persuasion is not effective and platform compliance remains low, state intervention is a rational step to ensure the governance of the digital space remains aligned with public interests.
“By openly stating the low level of compliance and linking it to rising digital crime and disinformation, the government is building a narrative that platform accountability is no longer a choice but a legal and moral obligation,” said Pratama.