Indonesia's Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi) has issued Ministerial Decree Number 127 of 2026, formally classifying electronic content containing disinformation and hate speech as material that disturbs public order and social peace.
Signed by Minister Meutya Hafid on March 13, 2026, the decree mandates that private user-generated content platform operators must act on any government-issued access removal order immediately, with a strict deadline of no more than four hours after receiving the takedown instruction.
The regulation is enforced through the Content Moderation Compliance System (SAMAN), and Komdigi cited the potential for disinformation and hate speech to trigger social polarization, public panic, erosion of trust in state institutions, and horizontal conflicts between ethnic, religious, and racial groups as key justifications for the policy.
However, the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI Indonesia), led by Chairwoman Nany Afrida, has pushed back, warning that phrases such as "content that disturbs society" and "disrupts public order" are rubber-clause terms vulnerable to broad and subjective interpretation, particularly against investigative journalism and critical opinion.
Legal adviser at the Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network (SAFEnet), Ramzy Muliawan, similarly raised concerns that the decree lacks clear definitions for "disinformation" and "hate speech," warning the vagueness could be exploited to expand censorship and restrict freedom of expression in Indonesia's digital space.
