he Communications and Information Ministry has given six unregistered foreign online travel agents (OTAs) a deadline of March 13 to comply with Indonesian regulations before the government moves to block local access to their platforms.
The ministry’s written warning issued on Tuesday to the six firms refers to the government’s licensing framework on its censorship powers and digital taxation policies.
“In the event that the six foreign private ESPs [electronic system providers] do not respond to the warning letter, the Communications and Information Ministry can impose administrative sanctions in the form of termination of access to [their platforms],” the ministry stated in a press release published on Wednesday.
The six firms are: Amsterdam-based Booking.com, San Francisco-based Airbnb.com, Singapore-based Agoda.com, Hong Kong-based Klook.com, Germany’s global hotel search company Trivago and Trivago’s US-based parent Expedia Group.
None of the companies responded immediately to a request for comment from The Jakarta Post.
Communications Ministerial Regulation No. 5/2020 requires ESPs, a broad category referring to digital platforms that provide their services in Indonesia, to submit information including company data, the platform’s name and URL, the types of personal data processed and the location of the company’s data management or processing facilities.
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