Jakarta. The Communication and Digital Affairs Ministry has urged global digital platforms to introduce features that can help users identify content generated by artificial intelligence (AI), as part of efforts to curb hoaxes and the spread of deepfakes. Deepfakes are AI-powered manipulations capable of altering a person’s face, voice, or expressions in videos to make them appear convincingly real.

“We hope global social media platforms can implement filters, or at least provide tools to check whether a piece of content was made by AI or not,” Deputy Minister Nezar Patria said on Wednesday.

Nezar called on platforms to make such features free and accessible to ensure inclusivity, noting that the surge of deepfake content poses an alarming threat. Citing data from Sensity AI, he said deepfake content has grown by 550 percent in the past five years, with actual numbers likely much higher given the rapid proliferation of tools that can generate manipulated images and videos.

According to him, tech platforms already have the computing power and algorithms needed to support public-interest functions, particularly in detecting hoaxes and deepfakes. “If we doubt the authenticity of content, we should be able to check it using their AI capabilities. For example, Meta or Google could make this a standard feature,” he said.

The deputy minister stressed that the government seeks to strike a balance between innovation and regulation to prevent AI misuse. Indonesia has existing legal frameworks, including the Information and Electronic Transaction (ITE) Law, the Personal Data Protection Law, and several technical regulations, while also preparing new rules to ensure AI is used ethically and responsibly.

Beyond regulation, the ministry is also collaborating with fact-checking communities, including Mafindo and media outlets, to strengthen digital literacy. “The digital space belongs to all of us, so we need close cooperation to protect the public from hoaxes and harmful content,” Nezar added.

Initially developed for creative industries, deepfake technology has increasingly been misused for fraud, defamation, and political disinformation. Even former finance minister Sri Mulyani has recently been targeted by such manipulations.

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