Indonesia reinstates TikTok license after the company shares data

Indonesia has reinstated TikTok’s local operating license after it shared data requested by the government that was linked to the nationwide protests between late August and September.

TikTok provided the requested data on “traffic escalation and TikTok Live monetization activities” during the period of Aug. 25 to Aug. 30, via an official letter dated Oct. 3, said Alexander Sabar, an official at Indonesia’s communications and digital ministry.

Government authorities temporarily stripped the social media platform of its status as a registered electronic systems operator late Friday, after it did not submit complete data as requested.

“With the lifting of this freeze, TikTok users can continue their normal activities, while the government ensures that the digital space remains healthy, safe, and transparent,” according to an official government press release Saturday.

Indonesia is a major market for TikTok, with more than 100 million users. The suspension of TikTok’s local operating license raised concerns about government control over free speech under President Prabowo Subianto’s administration.

However, Indonesian official Sabar said the government needs the data to trace accounts tied to online gambling that monetized TikTok’s live stream feature during the anti-government protests over rising living costs, lawmakers’ privileges, and police brutality.

On Aug. 25, thousands of citizens gathered outside of the country’s parliament to protest against perks granted to politicians, such as a monthly housing allowance that was said to be nearly 10 times the minimum wage in the country’s biggest city, Jakarta.

Later that week, mass demonstrations escalated after a delivery driver was reportedly run over and killed by a police vehicle in Jakarta.

The incident sparked public outrage and set off a wave of violent and deadly demonstrations across the country. Protesters targeted the homes of lawmakers, ransacking properties and set government buildings ablaze, according to reports.

Indonesia’s ministry of communication and digital affairs and TikTok have not responded to CNBC’s request for comment.