Suara Malaysia
ADVERTISEMENTFly London from Kuala LumpurFly London from Kuala Lumpur
Friday, November 22, 2024
More
    ADVERTISEMENTFly London from Kuala LumpurFly London from Kuala Lumpur
    HomeTechTikTok opposes mooted Indonesia social media transaction ban

    TikTok opposes mooted Indonesia social media transaction ban

    -

    Fly AirAsia from Kuala Lumpur

    JAKARTA: TikTok on Wednesday criticised calls by Indonesia to ban social media transactions, as Jakarta rails against what it says are monopolistic practices by major companies with e-commerce platforms such as the Chinese-owned firm.

    Indonesia users spent more money on TikTok than anywhere else in Southeast Asia over the past year, as the app’s ecommerce arm rapidly grew to gain a substantial regional market share and millions of sellers since its 2021 launch.

    Several government officials in recent weeks have called for social media and ecommerce to be separated, taking aim at companies like TikTok for what they say are monopolistic practices threatening local and small businesses.

    “Close to two million local businesses in Indonesia use TikTok to grow and thrive through social commerce,” Anggini Setiawan, TikTok Indonesia’s head of communications told AFP.

    “Forcing social media and ecommerce to separate into different platforms would not only hamper innovation, it would also disadvantage Indonesian merchants and consumers.”

    It called on Jakarta to “provide a level playing field for TikTok”.

    It came after deputy trade minister Jerry Sambuaga told a parliamentary hearing Tuesday that “we must differentiate between ecommerce, social media and social commerce”.

    He complained there was little regulation of the social media ecommerce space and called for a change to current trade laws.

    “A revision… will firmly and explicitly ban that,” he said, without confirming further details of his plan.

    Current laws in the archipelago nation do not cover transactions on social media.

    US tech giant Meta also uses ecommerce shops on its social media platforms Facebook and Instagram.

    ALSO READ:  Elimina plane crash: Cops want to take statements from owners of dashcam footage

    Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan told reporters Monday that a revision to laws could require companies to apply for separate licenses for social media and for ecommerce.

    Minister of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Teten Masduki also reportedly told a commission last week that companies should not be able to combine social media and ecommerce, warning Tiktok could become a “monopoly”.

    Indonesia is TikTok’s second-largest market, with 125 million users, according to company figures. It is owned by Chinese technology giant ByteDance.

    Its chief executive Shou Zi Chew visited Jakarta in June where he pledged to pour billions of dollars into Southeast Asia in the coming years. – AFP



    Credit: The Star : Tech Feed

    Suara
    Suarahttps://www.suara.my
    Tech enthusiast turning dreams into reality, one byte at a time 🚀

    Related articles

    ADVERTISEMENTFly London from Kuala Lumpur

    Subscribe to Newsletter

    To be updated with all the latest news, offers and special announcements.

    Latest posts