Safenet Reveals Threats of Digital Censorship

Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network (Safenet) Executive Director Nenden Sekar Arum has outlined several patterns of digital censorship targeting mass media and the public. These patterns were analysed from Safenet’s report on the digital rights situation in 2025, titled ‘Orba Datang Lagi, Represi Tak Pernah Pergi’ (The New Order Returns, Repression Never Left).

Nenden stated that digital censorship is an effort to control the flow of information and silence critical voices. She noted that digital attacks now come in many forms. ‘From the 2025 trends, it appears digital repression has mutated,’ she said during the ‘Ngopi Media Talks: BEREDEL, Dulu dan Kini’ event commemorating the struggle against media banning on 21 June 1994, held at the Tempo Studio in South Jakarta on Monday, 22 June 2026.

According to Nenden, digital attacks often begin with online threats directed at the victim. ‘I am from this unit, please delete content A and content B. If not, we will prosecute you under the ITE Law,’ she said, quoting a typical warning. Following such threats, doxing—the unauthorised dissemination of personal information—occurs. The perpetrators then proceed to carry out digital censorship.

For media outlets, digital censorship models include distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on websites. Another model is account suspension, which Nenden said is commonly experienced by critical members of the public. Additionally, censorship is carried out through algorithmic means, using methods such as shadow banning or visibility suppression. This type of algorithmic censorship causes a drastic drop in content traffic. ‘Usually, it reaches millions. But suddenly, the content only gets 100 or 200 views,’ she explained.

From a regulatory perspective, digital censorship is enforced through the requirement for media to register as Electronic System Providers (PSE). By registering, media must comply with PSE rules. Content deemed harmful by the government can have its licence revoked. ‘If the registration evidence is deleted by Kominfo, the media can become non-operational. This is also a form of censorship,’ she said.

The discussion, titled ‘Media Talks: BEREDEL, Dulu dan Kini’, was held by Tempo Media Group to commemorate the banning of Tempo magazine, Editor, and Detik by the government on 21 June 1994. The event featured Tempo Media Group CEO Arif Zulkifli, Tempo Editor-in-Chief Setri Yasra, former Tempo Editor-in-Chief Bambang Harymurti, Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Uan Hamid, and Malaka co-founder Cania Citta.