INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Indonesian government has blocked search engine website Yahoo, payments firm Paypal and several gaming websites due to failure to comply
with licensing rules, Reuters reported on Saturday.Registration is required under rules released in late November 2020 and will give
authorities broad powers to compel platforms to disclose data of certain users, and take down content deemed unlawful or that &disturbs
public order.Several tech companies had rushed to register in days leading to the deadline, which had been extended until Friday, including
Alphabet Inc&s Google, Meta Platforms Inc&s Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp and Amazon.com Inc.Semuel Abrijani Pangerapan, a senior
official at Indonesia&s Communications Ministry, said iwebsites that have been blocked include Yahoo, Paypal and gaming sites like Steam,
Dota2, Counter-Strike and EpicGames, among others.Hashtags like &BlokirKominfo& (block Communication Ministry), Epic Games and Paypal
trended on Indonesian Twitter, with many writing messages criticising the government&s move as hurting Indonesia&s online gaming industry
and freelance workers who use Paypal.With an estimated 191 million internet users and a young, social-media savvy population, the Southeast
Asian nation is a significant market for a host of tech platforms.The post Indonesia blocks Yahoo, Paypal, gaming websites over licence
breaches first appeared on Ariana News.
