UU ITE Challenged at Constitutional Court, TikTok to Facebook Urged to Require Users to Use Real Identities
JAKARTA - Ferdinandus Klau, a resident of North Central Timor in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), has called for TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to require their users to use real identities on social media platforms.
He made this request during a hearing for the amendment of the petition in Case Number 116/PUU-XXIV/2026, which challenges Article 4 letter e of Law Number 1 of 2024 on Electronic Information and Transactions (UU ITE) at the Constitutional Court (MK).
“Platform providers such as TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram should require social media users to use real and easily recognisable identity types,” Klau stated during the hearing, as quoted from the MKRI YouTube broadcast on Wednesday (22/4/2026).
He explained that currently, there are many fake accounts on social media platforms used to disseminate photos with defamatory narratives.
If social media users employ real identities, it could prevent obstacles for law enforcement authorities in uncovering perpetrators of crimes via social media platforms.
The challenged Article 4 letter e of the UU ITE reads: “The utilisation of information technology and electronic transactions is carried out for the purpose of: e. providing a sense of security, justice, and legal certainty for users and providers of Information Technology.”
According to him, the article should mandate social media platform users to use images and/or face photos and/or other easily recognisable and identifiable identity types as part of the guarantee in creating a sense of security in activities across all social media platforms.
“Real and easily recognisable identity types to minimise the misuse of social media to attack others’ reputations and honour, and to hold them accountable in accordance with applicable legal provisions,” Klau emphasised.
In his petition, Klau requests the MK to declare Article 4 letter e of the UU ITE contrary to Article 28G paragraph (1) of the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia (UUD NRI) and to have no binding legal force insofar as it is interpreted as not providing guarantees for the right to a sense of security in using social media platforms.