Elon Musk recently launched his "X" rebranding of Twitter in full swing, and depending on where you live, it's had different results. Moreover, reports indicate that Indonesia blocked the "x.com" domain that redirects to the social media platform on Tuesday (July 25). While this may seem like a direct response to this change, it's actually a little more complicated than that, reflecting the country's strict content laws. Furthermore, its Ministry of Communication and Informatics reportedly explained that "x.com" was previously a domain that hosted content in violation of the Southeast Asian nation's pornographic laws, banning "negative" material like adult content, according to Al-Jazeera. As of writing this article, it's unclear how the tech giant will sidestep this blocking.
However, based on what Indonesia's director general of information and public communication from the ministry, Usman Kansong, said, Elon Musk may have a path forward. "Earlier today, we spoke with representatives from Twitter. They will send a letter to us to say that x.com will be used by Twitter," he told local press. "The name is not too far from XXX, I guess," fact checker Aribowo Sasmito told the publication. "Those who prefer freedom are against it. But if the context is pornography-related, then it is more related to religious aspects. Indonesia is the country with the largest Muslim population in the world."
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Of course, this is just the latest change that Elon Musk implemented for the platform, which is having unforeseen consequences. Still, this is far from the first time that the Indonesian government tussled with social media sites. Last year, they threatened to block Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, Instagram, and Google over concerns about the apps' available content. Apparently, they had these sites on a deadline to explain the nature of their content to authorities.
Meanwhile, Indonesia banned TikTok outright back in 2018 for a brief moment due to similar qualms. Also, Telekomunikasi Indonesia, the country's largest telecommunications company, barred Netflix from 2016 to 2020. This was due to "inappropriate content" concerns that included pornography. Even though there's precedent, it seems like the Tesla billionaire will find a way to get the site back up. On that note, stay up to date on HNHH for more on Elon Musk and Twit- I mean, "X."
