Wikipedia updates restricted by Indonesia over digital registration refusal

Wikipedia editors in Indonesia are locked out of the site because it has refused to comply with digital security rules.

The situation escalated in the week as Wikimedia Commons, the organisation’s multimedia library, was temporarily blocked after being incorrectly flagged for hosting illegal gambling content. The site was subsequently restored following a manual check, but the country’s digital regulator said that the problem would not have arisen if it had been correctly registered according to the law.

A group of Wikipedia’s editors has called on users to write to the government about the restrictions imposed since February that prevent its editors from logging in or adding new volunteers to the system. That makes creating new content or updates difficult.

The Ministry of Communication and Digital says it will end the block once Wikimedia has completed the process of registering under the PSE license system. It says the system is necessary to ensure digital security and protect consumers.