JAKARTA: ByteDance’s TikTok has temporarily suspended its live feature in Indonesia for the “next few days” amid escalating violence in protests in the country, Reuters reported, citing a company spokesperson’s statement on Saturday.
TikTok said the move was part of “additional security measures to keep TikTok a safe and civil space.”
The platform, which has over 100 million accounts in Indonesia, will continue to remove content that violates its community guidelines.
The decision comes as protests spread beyond Jakarta, with several regional parliament buildings set on fire. The protests, which began earlier this week in the country’s capital over lawmakers’ pay, intensified after a police vehicle hit and killed a motorcycle rider.
Reuters also reported that the Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s planned trip to Beijing on Sept 3 to attend China’s “Victory Day” parade was cancelled.
In a video statement on Saturday, presidential spokesperson Prasetyo Hadi explained, “The president wants to continue monitoring (the situation in Indonesia) directly…and seek the best solutions.”
Indonesia’s president apologised to the Chinese government that he could not attend the invitation.
Mr Prasetyo added that another reason for the cancellation was the upcoming United Nations General Assembly session in September.
This week, Jakarta summoned social media platform representatives, including TikTok and Meta Platforms, urging them to strengthen content moderation, as disinformation had spread online. /TISG
Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only)
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