According to local reports, Indonesia, one of Telegram’s largest global user bases, is considering banning the messaging platform due to inadequate moderation of illegal content. Indonesian Minister of Communication and Information Technology Budi Arie Setiadi claimed that authorities are considering blocking Telegram, as reported by the local news agency Jakarta Globe on August 29.
Critical Decision for Telegram
According to the minister, Indonesia is concerned about the distribution of illegal content on Telegram. Local authorities are also considering banning the global live streaming application Bigo Live, owned by Singapore-based Bigo Technology, for similar reasons. Budi reportedly promised that both Telegram and Bigo would improve their content moderation at the request of the Indonesian government. However, the companies failed to implement better moderation measures and issue a decision.
The minister added that he personally prefers to shut down Telegram and Bigo Live but emphasized that proper studies need to be conducted before continuing with the bans. He warned that more evidence of illegal content distribution on the platforms would inevitably lead to their ban in the country, stating:
“We act based on the evidence collected by our team. If we find evidence of this process and its promotion, we will continue to block the platforms.”
Details on the Matter
If Indonesia bans Telegram, the messaging platform will lose a significant portion of its user base. According to Demandsage data, Indonesia is the third-largest country in terms of Telegram usage, with over 27 million downloads from the country. As of July 2024, Telegram had over 950 million monthly active users, with India having more than 100 million users and Russia ranking second with 34 million users.
This news came after Telegram’s founder and CEO Pavel Durov was placed under judicial supervision in France following a court hearing related to alleged crimes connected to his role at Telegram. Such a ban, along with this process, could lead to a significant drop in Telegram-based altcoins.
