Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — Indonesia is weighing a proposal to limit citizens to one social media account per person. Deputy Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi) Nezar Patria said the proposal still under review by the Ministry.
“We are reviewing the idea of one person, one social media account, as it is also linked to the government’s One Data Indonesia program,” Nezar said on Monday (September 15), as reported by Antara.
He said the restriction could help curb online scams and make it easier for authorities to monitor the spread of misinformation and hoaxes.
“This is one of several options we are studying to reduce digital fraud and to strengthen oversight of misinformation and disinformation,” he added.
The proposal was first raised by Gerindra Party lawmaker Bambang Haryadi, who argued that social media in Indonesia has become too open, making it difficult to distinguish between facts and falsehoods.
His comments came as he addressed rumors surrounding the resignation of Rahayu Saraswati Djojohadikusumo, President Prabowo Subianto’s niece, from parliament to reportedly take up a ministerial post.
Bambang said limiting the number of accounts could make users more accountable and reduce the influence of anonymous accounts and online “buzzers” used to amplify political or social narratives.
“We hope this won’t restrict democracy but rather prevent social media freedom from being abused to spread negative framing against individuals or institutions,” he said.
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A similar proposal was also floated earlier by Oleh Soleh, a member of parliament’s Commission I from the National Awakening Party (PKB).
During a hearing with major platforms including Google, YouTube, Meta, and TikTok, he suggested banning the use of second accounts by both individuals and organizations.
Soleh argued that multiple accounts are often misused to create online “armies” of buzzers that distort public discourse.
(Raidi/Agung)
