Jakarta, INTI - The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi) is preparing a new regulation requiring all social media users to include a verified phone number when registering. Detik iNET reported that this plan is being taken by the government to strengthen oversight in the digital space and suppress the spread of hoaxes, hate speech, and online fraud.
Minister Meutya Hafid explained that this social media account re-registration policy aims to ensure that every account owner has a clear identity. That way, users are expected to be more responsible for all their digital activities.
"While it's not currently mandatory to provide a telephone number, we are currently discussing this through public consultation, of course, regarding how to ensure that people are required to provide their telephone number when accessing social media, so that their identity is clear," said Meutya in a Working Meeting with Commission I of the House of Representatives (DPR), Monday, May 18.
The government believes that the anonymity that exists on social media has been a major loophole for cybercriminals. This lack of clarity about identity facilitates the spread of disinformation, online scams, online gambling, and even dangerous deepfake-based content without being easily detected by law enforcement.
The Regulation is in Discussion Stage
In addition to tightening phone number controls, Komdigi plans to integrate a verified digital identity system through the Electronic Certification Provider. Meutya said this regulation is still in discussion stage and will go through a public consultation process before being officially implemented in Indonesia.
"We need to ensure that people log in to social media by providing their phone number so that their identity is clear and they are responsible for the posts they make," said Meutya.
In her explanation, Meutya also revealed that digital threats are becoming increasingly serious globally. Misinformation and disinformation are projected to become the second-biggest global challenge in the next two years.
In Indonesia, the government noted that losses caused by online fraud or scams have reached approximately Rp9.1 trillion. This number does not include the economic and social impacts of online gambling and digital pornography. Komdigi also revealed that it has blocked access to approximately 3.45 million online gambling content sites from October 2024 to May 2026.
Relevant authorities have also requested the blocking of more than 25,000 bank accounts suspected of being linked to online gambling activities from the Financial Services Authority (OJK) throughout 2025.
Conclusion
Komdigi is planning a regulation requiring social media users to register their accounts using verified phone numbers. This policy aims to clarify user identities to suppress the spread of hoaxes, hate speech, online fraud, online gambling, and deepfake content. The government considers anonymity on social media to be a major loophole for various cybercrimes. The regulation will be discussed through public consultation before implementation.
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