Why TikTok's Live Feature Temporary Suspension is Considered Inappropriate

September 1, 2025 | 11:35 am

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The temporary suspension of the live streaming feature on TikTok is not only threatening the public's freedom of expression and limiting access to information, but also causing losses to businesses. TikTok's voluntary decision to take this step amidst widespread demonstrations condemning the Parliament and the Police is seen as highly inappropriate.

Nailul Huda, the Director of the Digital Economy Center of Economic and Law Studies (Celios), described this move as a regression. "Moreover, the majority of Indonesians currently prefer watching live streaming over traditional TV," Huda said when contacted by Tempo on Monday, September 1, 2025.

According to him, live streaming serves as the fastest and real-time source of information for the public. Through this feature, the public is able to access firsthand information from the field. "Information and data from the field are human rights. Therefore, restricting information is equivalent to the government violating the people's human rights," he asserted.

Huda added that the government and electronic system providers (PSE) should not limit information but rather protect the rights of the press and individuals conveying on-the-ground facts.

In addition to freedom of expression, he emphasized that the suspension of the live broadcasting feature also leads to significant economic losses within the digital economy ecosystem, particularly for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and affiliates. Based on Statista data, Huda explained that four out of ten people already make purchases through online shopping or live shopping, with a growth rate of 30 percent.

He stated that the potential decline in MSME sales could reach 40 percent due to the suspension of the live streaming feature. "Therefore, for the platform or PSE, the policy to shut down live streaming is inappropriate. It is not commendable to shut down their source of income."

Previously, a TikTok spokesperson stated that the Live feature in Indonesia will be frozen for several days. TikTok has also been removing content deemed to violate their community guidelines and monitoring the situation of demonstrations in the country.

According to the TikTok spokesperson, the demonstrations in Indonesia have continued to escalate and have been accompanied by an increase in violence. "We are taking additional security measures to ensure that TikTok remains a safe and civilized space," reads TikTok's official statement.

Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Digital Space Oversight at the Ministry of Communication and Informatics, Alexander Sabar, stated that the ministry did not instruct TikTok to limit the live feature. "It was TikTok's decision," said Alexander Sabar on August 31, 2025.

Since the demonstrations calling for the dissolution of Parliament heated up on August 25, 2025, the live broadcast feature on TikTok has become limited. Participants of the mass action cannot use this feature to report the current situation of the chaotic demonstration.

Novali Panji and Alif Ilham contributed to this article.

Editor's Choice: TikTok Suspends Live Feature in Indonesia Due to Escalation of Violence in Protests

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