bacakoran.co - the wave of mass that erupted across various cities in indonesia at the end of august 2025 has had far-reaching consequences, not only on the streets but also in the digital space.

a number of social media users complained that they had been unable to use tiktok live and instagram live features since saturday evening, august 30, 2025.

the temporary suspension of live streaming features immediately sparked public reaction.

many suspected the policy was closely linked to the political situation and mass protests that have recently intensified.

numerous netizens flocked to social media to voice their frustrations after discovering that the live features on tiktok and instagram had suddenly disappeared.

the features were often used to broadcast demonstrations directly, as well as everyday activities.

tiktok & instagram admit to disabling live features

at first, many netizens assumed the disruption of live features was merely a technical glitch.

however, tiktok and instagram later confirmed that the move was an official company decision.

“in light of the increasing violence during demonstrations in , we have taken additional safety measures to keep tiktok a safe and civil space,” a tiktok representative said, as quoted by metrotvnews.com, sunday (august 31, 2025).

according to the representative, the decision was made voluntarily on a temporary basis.

“as part of this step, we have voluntarily suspended in indonesia for the next few days. we are also continuously removing content that violates community guidelines and monitoring the ongoing situation,” the statement added.

meta, the parent company of instagram, reportedly adopted a similar policy.

instagram live was also disabled, leaving users unable to conduct live broadcasts.

as a result, social media platforms were flooded with complaints, particularly from those who regularly streamed demonstrations in real time.

this policy is not unprecedented.

live streaming suspensions have frequently been implemented in other countries during escalating conflicts or mass protests.

the rationale is simple: to prevent hoaxes, provocation, and uncontrolled flows of information that could worsen the situation. however, this time, the context is different.

many observers argue the move could erode the public’s right to access transparent, on-the-ground information.

as of this report, tiktok has not announced when the live feature will be reactivated.

instagram has taken the same stance, leaving many users disappointed.

netizens & activists criticize: digital democracy at stake

although tiktok and instagram claimed the suspension of live features was for safety reasons, the move has faced harsh criticism.

damar juniarto, director of the digital anti-disinformation working group, described the policy as a form of censorship that undermines democracy.

“this is what is called censorship, and such censorship undoubtedly hampers democracy,” he said, as quoted by tempo.co (august 31, 2025).

he suspected the decision was not separated from government communication with tech giants, following deputy minister of communication and digital angga raka prabowo’s meeting with meta and tiktok asia pacific.

angga stressed that content moderation has long been in place to prevent hoaxes, hate speech, and online gambling, though he denied any connection to the latest protests.

still, public skepticism remains high.

on x (formerly twitter), the hashtag #matilivematidemokrasi (“live dies, democracy dies”) trended, with netizens arguing that shutting down the live feature is tantamount to silencing the voice of the people.