TikTok suspends live streaming in Indonesia due to rising violence during protests

TikTok has announced that it will temporarily suspend live streaming in Indonesia for the next few days, following the intensification of anti-government protests in the country.

Bytedance's TikTok temporarily suspends live feature in Indonesia following protests | Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/bytedances-tiktok-temporarily-suspends-live-feature-indonesia-following-protests-2025-08-30/

Alasan TikTok Batasi Siaran Langsung saat Ramai Demonstrasi | tempo.co
https://www.tempo.co/ekonomi/alasan-tiktok-batasi-siaran-langsung-saat-ramai-demonstrasi-2065098

TikTok says live feature temporarily suspended in Indonesia over protests | The Straits Times
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/tiktok-says-live-feature-temporarily-suspended-in-indonesia-over-protests

In Indonesia, demonstrations have broken out in protest against excessive allowances for lawmakers. During the demonstrations, a motorbike taxi driver was hit and killed by a police vehicle, sparking further resentment against the police, leading to arson attacks on public facilities and other intensifying protests.

Several dead as Indonesian protesters set fire to government building | REUTERS - YouTube


Protests intensify in Indonesia after man dies after being hit by police vehicle (August 30, 2025) - YouTube


Anti-government protests intensify in Indonesia, with five dead after a local assembly building fire and other incidents. The Japanese embassy urges people to refrain from unnecessary outings, and the president cancels his visit to China. | TBS NEWS DIG - YouTube


In response to this situation, TikTok announced that it would suspend its live streaming feature in Indonesia for a few days.

TikTok explained the suspension of live streaming, saying, 'In light of the increasing violence during protests in Indonesia, we are taking additional safety measures to keep TikTok a safe and civil space.'

Indonesia is one of the countries with the most TikTok users in the world, with over 100 million users.

The suspension of TikTok's live streaming feature comes after Indonesia's Deputy Minister of Communications and Information, Angga Raka Prabowo, revealed plans to summon Meta and TikTok. However, Alexander Sabar, director of the Ministry of Communications and Information's Digital Space Supervision Agency, said, 'The suspension of live streaming was initiated by TikTok, and the Ministry of Communications and Information has not issued any such order.'

However, Damar Junialto of the Working Group on Countering Disinformation suspected the move was requested by the government. 'This is censorship. This kind of censorship definitely hinders democracy,' he told TEMPO.

By August 31, 2025, five people had died and dozens had been injured in the protests.