By Emma Roth
Indonesia has lifted its ban on Steam and Yahoo now that both companies complied with the country’s restrictive laws that regulate online activity (via @ZhugeEX). The Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Information (Kominfo) announced the news in a translated update on Twitter, noting that Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Dota 2 are back online as well.
Last week, Indonesia blocked access to Steam, PayPal, Yahoo, Epic Games, and Origin after the companies failed to meet a deadline to register with the country’s database. This requirement is bundled with a broader law, called MR5, that Indonesia first introduced in 2020. The law gives the Indonesian government the authority to order platforms to take down content considered illegal as well as request the data of specific users. In 2021, the digital rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) called the policy “invasive of human rights.”
Although PayPal has yet to comply, Indonesia unblocked access to the service for five days starting July 31st to give users a chance to withdraw money and make payments. According to the Indonesian news outlet Antara News, PayPal reportedly plans on registering with the country’s database soon.
Epic Games and the EA-owned Origin still remain banned in the country, which makes games like Fortnite and FIFA unplayable. The ban has sparked backlash among Indonesian users, who have made the #BlockirKominfo (block Kominfo) a trending hashtag on Twitter. Some users have resorted to using a VPN (virtual private network) to play games from banned services.
There’s no word on when Epic and Origin plan on complying with the country’s registration requirement. The Verge reached out to both companies with a request for comment but didn’t immediately hear back.
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