The end of anonymous?
Government says it wants social media users to become more “accountable.” The latest proposal from the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs would require social media accounts to be linked to phone numbers and eventually verified digital identities. Officials argue that anonymity enables online gambling, fraud, deepfakes, hoaxes and cybercrime.
NTT Docomo fined by KPPU
Business Competition Supervisory Comission (KPPU) has recently fined NTT Docomo Rp2 billion for delaying notification of its acquisition of Intage Holdings. The verdict was read out during the hearing of case No. 16/KPPU-M/2025 last week.
Redemption, privilege and the Sambo theology debate
The revelation that former police general Ferdy Sambo is pursuing a Master’s degree in theology from prison has reopened an uncomfortable debate. Where exactly is the line between rehabilitation and privilege?
Banning tribal warfare, misreading Papua
The government’s latest push to ban tribal warfare in Papua Pegunungan may sound, at first glance, like a reasonable attempt to stop violence. No modern state can simply tolerate recurring armed clashes that leave civilians dead, schools abandoned and communities displaced.
Soldiers vs movie (2)
“We did not ban the screening of Pesta Babi.” That statement from Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendrawas intended to calm public controversy surrounding the documentary film. Instead, it exposed a deeper and increasingly visible problem inside democracy: the widening disconnect between official democratic rhetoric and the reality experienced by citizens on the ground.
Selective compliance in digital regulation
As the government pushes platforms to improve protections for minors online, social media companies have largely moved toward compliance. E-commerce platforms, however, are asking for negotiation, flexibility and gradual implementation. On the surface, such requests may appear reasonable given the technical and operational complexities involved. But politically and legally, the situation raises a deeper concern: will the government apply the same standards to all digital industries, or will economic power determine how regulations are enforced?
MBG lawsuit quietly disappeared
Last week, the Constitutional Court approved the withdrawal of a judicial review petition challenging provisions of the 2026 State Budget Law related to MBG. The petition had been filed by “MBG Watch,” a coalition of civil society groups that includes anti-corruption activists, legal aid organizations, consumer advocates and fiscal policy watchdogs such as Transparency International Indonesia, YLBHI, CELIOS and YLKI.
Ibrahim’s verdict becomes Nadiem’s greatest legal threat
The conviction of Ibrahim Arief in the Chromebook procurement scandal may have targeted a technology consultant, but politically and legally, the ruling represents a far bigger threat to Nadiem Makarim, the former education minister now under house arrest amid the ongoing corruption investigation.
KoinP2P case
Prosecutors from the Jakarta High Prosecutor’s Office named three top executives of KoinP2P as suspects in an alleged corruption case tied to the disbursement of approximately Rp600 billion in loans through a cooperation scheme with state-owned lender Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI).
Protecting banking reputation
The recent acquittal of eight bankers in the Rp1.3 trillion Sritex corruption case may have protected banking industry from immediate reputational shock. But it also exposed a deeper problem within the country’s legal and financial governance system: the uneasy boundary between maintaining market confidence and enforcing accountability.