During the Indonesia Gelap movement in early 2025, there was also a counter-movement
suspected of being operated by buzzers called Bright Indonesia or Indonesia Terang.151
This aligns with findings by the Monash Data and Democracy Research Hub, which
identified attempts to counter the narrative in support of the Indonesia Gelap movement
on X (formerly Twitter). The counter-narratives were posted by several politicians
before being amplified by political buzzer accounts152.
Under Prabowo’s administration, the government has tightened its control of information
on social media platforms while drafting revisions to the Cybersecurity and Resilience Bill153.
The revision, which the government aims to pass into law by the end of 2025, reportedly
includes penalties for platforms that fail to “adequately protect their cybersecurity.” Among
the highlighted provisions is Article 56 of the draft law, which would allow the military to
act as investigators in cyber-related crimes alongside the police and other government
agencies154. However, the Ministry of Law has claimed that the military’s authority
proposed in the bill is limited to handling cyber-related crimes involving only military
personnel155.
The government also announced the National Moderation and Complaint Administration
System (SAMAN) in 2025, a system used by the government for content moderation—
another mechanism that lacks transparency156.
As mass demonstrations erupted in August 2025 and TikTok announced that it had
suspended its live-streaming features157, the government suspended the platform’s
operating license in October after it refused to provide government data related to the use
“Efforts to Undermine Demonstrations Through Influencers.” Tempo.co, 4 Sep. 2025, www.tempo.co/
politik/narasi-influencer-merepsons-tuntutan-demonstran-2066522.
152.
“Attempt to Influence Public Opinion in the “Indonesia Gelap” Protest.” Monash University, 23 Feb. 2025,
www.monash.edu/indonesia/news/attempt-to-influence-public-opinion-in-the-indonesia-gelap-protest.
153.
“Indonesia Prepares Cybersecurity, Resilience Bill.” Antara, 3 Oct. 2025, en.antaranews.com/news/383973/
indonesia-prepares-cybersecurity-resilience-bill.
154.
Ritonga, Machradin Wahyudi. “The TNI’s Authority in the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill Is Under the
Spotlight, Deemed to Be Harming Democracy.” Kompas.id, 4 Oct. 2025, www.kompas.id/artikel/
en-dinilai-cederai-demokrasi-wewenang-tni-dalam-ruu-keamanan-dan-ketahanan-siber-jadi-sorotan.
155.
Harbowo, Nikolaus, and Machradin Wahyudi Ritonga. “The Government Will Limit the TNI’s Authority
in Cyber Crime Investigations.” Kompas.id, 8 Oct. 2025, www.kompas.id/artikel/en-pemerintah-bakalbatasi-kewenangan-tni-dalam-penyidikan-pidana-siber.
156.
Nidhal, Muhammad, et al. “Shadows of Censorship: Indonesia’s Content Moderation Policy Development.”
Center for Indonesian Policy Studies, July 2025, repository.cips-indonesia.org/media/
publications/619819-shadows-of-censorship-indonesias-content-bad635c0.pdf.
157.
Nugroho, Novali Panji. “Indonesian Ministry Addresses TikTok ‘s Limited Live Streaming Feature in
the Wake of Mass Protest.” Tempo.co, 31 Aug. 2025, en.tempo.co/read/2044801/indonesian-ministryaddresses-tiktoks-limited-live-streaming-feature-in-wake-of-mass-protest.
151.
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