Research Paper: Regulations for Moderating Illegal Content on Social Media in Indonesia

This research paper consolidates civil society’s aspirations to implement a fairer and more effective framework for moderating social media content in Indonesia. The formulation of these recommendations refers to three sources.

First, a study by PR2Media titled “Pengaturan Konten Ilegal dan Berbahaya di Media Sosial: Riset Pengalaman Pengguna dan Rekomendasi Kebijakan” (“The Regulation of Illegal and Harmful Content on Social Media: A Study of User Experiences and Policy Recommendations”, Wendratama et al., 2023).

Second, a series of focus group discussions with diverse stakeholders, including legal scholars, media practitioners, and civil society organizations conducted in Jakarta.

Third, a review of studies and reference materials regarding content moderation in Indonesia and elsewhere; this includes, for example, studies conducted by the Center for Digital Society, FISIPOL Universitas Gadjah Mada (“Moderating Harmful Content in Indonesia: Legal Frameworks, Trends, and Concerns”, 2022) and Article 19 (“Content Moderation and Local Stakeholders in Indonesia”, 2022).

This paper advances a healthier policy framework for moderating social content in Indonesia. Its recommendations are intended to be substantive yet as easily comprehensible as possible, presented in conjunction with proposed regulatory articles that can be easily understood by policymakers.