[REVISION HISTORY]

Indonesia crackdown on Prabowo‑related online content

Updated 1 time since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-08-08 04:32 UTC → 2026-08-09 06:33 UTC · added ~~removed~~

In early August 2026, West Java police’s cybercrime unit arrested a man for creating an AI‑generated video that depicted President Prabowo Subianto in a provocative scenario and seized his devices and social‑media accounts. The same unit also detained two other men for posting and commenting on a Threads thread that reproduced Prabowo’s remarks on Iran’s nuclear programme, citing concerns that the content could threaten national unity. Human‑rights groups quickly responded. Amnesty International Indonesia condemned the arrests, arguing they contravene the Constitutional Court’s ruling that digital disturbances are not criminal offences under the ITE law and that government bodies cannot file defamation suits. The organization called for the immediate, unconditional release of the detainees and warned that criminalising online criticism undermines free expression in cyberspace. By August 7, the crackdown expanded. The Polda Metro Jaya police identified nine suspects involved in disseminating hoaxes intended to incite public unrest. Investigators reported a pattern of creators reusing old footage from past riots to fabricate narratives of current instability. Authorities noted that while some content creators work independently, others operate within organized groups, sometimes motivated by financial gain through paid orders. Police indicated they are investigating potential violations of the ITE Law, the Personal Data Protection Law, and the Anti-Corruption Law if evidence emerges that state funds were used to finance the production of criminal content.

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