Indonesia Unblocks Steam and Yahoo, But Fortnite and FIFA Are Still Banned (theverge.com) 4
Indonesia has lifted its ban on Steam and Yahoo now that both companies complied with the country's restrictive laws that regulate online activity. From a report: The Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Information (Kominfo) announced the news in a translated update on Twitter, noting that Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Dota 2 are back online as well. Last week, Indonesia blocked access to Steam, PayPal, Yahoo, Epic Games, and Origin after the companies failed to meet a deadline to register with the country's database. This requirement is bundled with a broader law, called MR5, that Indonesia first introduced in 2020. The law gives the Indonesian government the authority to order platforms to take down content considered illegal as well as request the data of specific users. In 2021, the digital rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) called the policy "invasive of human rights." Although PayPal has yet to comply, Indonesia unblocked access to the service for five days starting July 31st to give users a chance to withdraw money and make payments. According to the Indonesian news outlet Antara News, PayPal reportedly plans on registering with the country's database soon.
Re: (Score:2)
This is the internet. It should be impossible to block anything. I guess the system is more feeble than we thought.
Those who know how already circumvent. The problem is they're a woeful minority. The companies that have been "forced" to comply are the companies that want to make money off users. For this, they need the critical mass that the majority represent.
Hippo (Score:2)
"... the country's restrictive laws that regulate online activity ..."
Aha. Like the US, and most other nations, western included. But for western nations it would never be described as that.