Key takeaways:

• Indonesia reportedly plans to ban the messaging app because of inadequate monitoring of illicit information, according to reports from local sources.
• Bigo and Telegram have pledged to enhance content monitoring in response to requests from the Indonesian government.

Indonesia, one of the world’s biggest Telegram users, reportedly plans to ban the messaging app because of inadequate monitoring of illicit information, according to reports from local sources.

The local news outlet Jakarta Globe reported on August 29 that Indonesia’s Minister of Communication and Informatics, Budi Arie Setiadi, stated that Telegram’s blockage is a possibility.

The minister stated that Indonesia is worried about the distribution of illegal content on Telegram, including claims that it is involved in the promotion of online gambling and the dissemination of pornography.

Due to similar accusations, local authorities are now thinking about banning the Telegram messenger and Bigo Live, a global live-streaming service owned by Singapore-based Bigo Technologies.

According to Budi, Bigo and Telegram have pledged to enhance content monitoring in response to requests from the Indonesian government. But the businesses haven’t come up with a solution or improved moderating techniques.

The minister went on to say that while he himself would want to “shut down” Bigo Live and Telegram, appropriate research must be done before imposing sanctions.

He issued a warning, saying that further proof of the platforms’ involvement in the spread of illegal content would unavoidably result in their national prohibition.

“We act based on evidence collected by our team. If we find evidence of pornography or gambling promotion, we will proceed with blocking the platforms.”

The messaging app Telegram would lose a significant percentage of its user base if it were banned in Indonesia.

With over 27 million app downloads, Indonesia ranks third globally in terms of Telegram usage, according to Demandsage data.

In July 2024, Telegram boasted over 950 million monthly active users. India accounted for over 100 million of these users, while Russia came in second with 34 million subscribers.

This information was released concurrently with Telegram CEO and founder Pavel Durov being placed under court supervision in France after he appeared in court over his suspected criminal offences relating to his position at Telegram.