Ministry prepares strategy to combat algorithmic disinformation
Deputy Minister Nezar Patria stated that the strategy includes intensified content moderation under the Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law to protect public spaces from malicious digital manipulation.
“Content moderation is carried out by the Communication and Digital Affairs Ministry based on existing mandates and legal regulations,” Nezar said in a ministry release on Thursday.
“We continue to respect freedom of expression as long as it does not lead to slander, disinformation, and hate speech,” he added.
With Indonesia’s internet users reaching nearly 240 million, social media platforms have transformed into hyper-active environments where users act as both information producers and consumers.
Nezar noted that much of the content produced is driven by sentiment rather than verified facts.
He explained that recommendation algorithms track user habits—such as watch time and post engagement—to continuously feed similar content, insulating users inside “echo chambers.”
“What we talk about on social media is often not a dialogue; instead, we shout and hear the echo of our own shouts,” Nezar remarked, warning that algorithmic personalization allows social engineering to distort reality and trigger social polarization.
Furthermore, Nezar highlighted the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) as a growing challenge, citing synthetic media and deepfakes that make hyper-realistic content difficult to distinguish from genuine media.
To address this issue, the ministry is socializing public verification tools to trace media origins and determine whether content was AI-generated.
Nezar concluded by urging the public to improve their digital literacy and cultivate habits of content verification before sharing viral information online.
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Translator: Livia Kristianti, Yashinta Difa