Indonesia's Internet Censorship Relatively Strict in Southeast Asia in 2022

Comparitech, a UK-based cybersecurity and antivirus service provider, has released a list of countries with the most internet censorship and restrictions in 2022.

This internet restriction score is based on several criteria, such as restrictions or bans on accessing torrents, pornography, social media, and VPNs, as well as heavy restrictions or censorship of politically charged media content.

These variables are then formulated into a score on a scale of 0-11. The higher the score, the more censorship or restrictions on internet access a country imposes.

Based on these calculations, Indonesia received a score of 6 points, on par with Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.

Meanwhile, Myanmar topped the ranking with a score of 9 points. Internet censorship in the Land of a Thousand Pagodas occurred across almost all criteria, except for the prohibition of torrents and pornography.

Here is a complete list of internet censorship and restriction scores in Southeast Asian countries in 2022:

1. Myanmar: 9 points
2. Thailand: 8 points
3. Malaysia: 7 points
4. Cambodia: 6 points
5. Indonesia: 6 points
6. Laos: 6 points
7. Vietnam: 6 points
8. Brunei Darussalam: 5 points
9. Philippines: 5 points
10. Singapore: 5 points
11. Timor Leste: 1 point

Currently, Indonesia's Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (Kominfo) plans to censor content on film streaming services such as Netflix, Disney+, HBO, and others, similar to the censorship already implemented on conventional television.

This aims to align film content with Indonesian norms.

"They are both film products. One platform is OTT (over-the-top), the other is FTA (free-to-air). The treatment should be the same for the same product, films for example. One shouldn't be strictly regulated while OTT is free. Everything must be on a level playing field," said Minister of Communication and Information Technology Budi Arie Setiaji in a statement, as reported by CNN Indonesia on Thursday, August 10, 2023.

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