Indonesia suspends TikTok’s operating licence for allegedly withholding data

Indonesia has suspended TikTok’s operational registration status in the country, alleging that the social media platform did not fully co-operate with a request to share its data during nationwide protests in August. In a , Alexander Sabar, an official from Indonesia’s digital and communications ministry, said TikTok had violated national laws by only providing partial data while the protests were ongoing between August 23 and 30.

Sabar said TikTok was given until September 23 to hand over its data related to traffic, streaming and monetization, after it emerged that some accounts with links to online gambling may have profited from TikTok livestreams during the protests. All forms of gambling are illegal under Indonesian law. TikTok reportedly that it couldn’t provide all of the requested data due to internal policy. The app has now been temporarily suspended, although claims that TikTok remains accessible in the country for now.

Anger about the state of Indonesia’s economy, widespread police brutality and a number of government policies sparked August’s violent protests. TikTok its live feature for a number of days during the unrest in an attempt to keep the platform a “safe and civil space.” The app has over 100 million users in the country.

Sabar gave no indication as to how long the ban will last. As reported by , a spokesperson for TikTok said the company respects the laws of the countries it operates in, and added that it’s working with the digital ministry to find a resolution.