Jakarta. Communication and Information Technology Minister, Budi Arie Setiadi, says that he will not hesitate to shut down the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) if it persists in allowing the sharing of pornographic content. Budi emphasized that Indonesia's regulations on pornography are non-negotiable.

"We will block it. Anything unclear will be deleted; we cannot be dictated by other countries," stated Budi during a session with the House of Representatives (DPR) Commission I at the Parliament complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Monday.

Budi acknowledged that his ministry has already sent an official letter to X.

"Regarding pornography, I have written to X. If they continue to permit pornography in Indonesia, we will take action," Budi emphasized.

Indonesia prohibits the production and dissemination of pornographic content under Law No. 44/2008. Last year, the government removed over 1.2 million pieces of pornographic content. The ministry regularly instructs internet service providers to block access to websites containing such material.

The social media platform X says it will now formally allow people to show consensual adult content, as long as it is clearly labeled as such. The move makes official a policy already in place when the platform was known as Twitter, before billionaire Elon Musk purchased it in 2022.

In a recent update on its website, the San Francisco-based company said users “should be able to create, distribute, and consume material related to sexual themes as long as it is consensually produced and distributed. Sexual expression, whether visual or written, can be a legitimate form of artistic expression.”

Adult material was allowed under the pre-Musk Twitter as well, although there was no official policy in place. X said it is restricting adult content for children and for adult users who choose not to see it.

“We also prohibit content promoting exploitation, nonconsent, objectification, sexualization or harm to minors, and obscene behaviors,” X said. It added that it does not allow sharing adult content in “highly visible” places such as users’ profile photos or banners.