Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs

The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Indonesian: Kementerian Komunikasi dan Digital; abbreviated as Komdigi) is an Indonesian government ministry that is responsible for communications, information affairs and internet censorship. The ministry reports to the president and is currently led by Meutya Hafid, the Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs.^[1]

Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs

Kementerian Komunikasi dan Digital
Ministry overview
Formed	19 August 1945 (1945-08-19) as Department of Information 9 August 2001 (2001-08-09) as State Ministry of Communication and Information
Preceding agencies	Department of Information (1945–1999) State Ministry of Communication and Information (2001–2005) Department of Communication and Informatics (2005–2009) Ministry of Communication and Informatics (2009–2024)
Jurisdiction	Government of Indonesia
Headquarters	Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat No. 9 Jakarta Pusat 10110 Jakarta, Indonesia
Minister responsible	Meutya Hafid, Minister of Communication and Digital Affairss
Deputy Ministers responsible	Nezar Patria, First Deputy Minister of Communication and Digital Affairss Angga Raka Prabowo, Second Deputy Minister of Communication and Digital Affairss
Website	www.komdigi.go.id

"The Ever-Burning Fire", the old emblem of the Department of Information of the Republic of Indonesia.

The current form of the ministry was established in 2001 by President Megawati Sukarnoputri after its predecessor, the Department of Information (Indonesian: Departemen Penerangan, lit. 'Department of Enlightenment', abbreviated Deppen), was abolished by President Abdurrahman Wahid in 1999. Deppen itself was created on 19 August 1945, during the National Revolution.^[2]

Organization

Former logo as Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, used from 2007 until 2024

Former logo used from 20 October until 23 December 2024

By Presidential Decree No. 174/2024^[1] and Minister of Communication and Information Technology No. 12/2021, the Ministry is organized as follows:

• Office of the Minister
• Office of the First Deputy Minister
• Office of the Second Deputy Minister
• Board of Experts
  • Senior Expert to the Minister on Law
  • Senior Expert to the Minister on Social Affairs, Economics, and Culture
  • Senior Expert to the Minister on Communications and Mass Media
  • Senior Expert to the Minister on Technological Affairs
• General Secretariat
  • Office of the General Secretary
  • Bureau of Planning
  • Bureau of Employment and Organization
  • Bureau of Finance
  • Bureau of Legal Affairs
  • Bureau of General Affairs
  • Bureau of Public Communication
  • Centers (attached to the Secretariat General)
    • Center of Data and Information Technology
    • Center for International Relations
    • Secretariat of Indonesian Central Broadcasting Commission
    • Secretariat of Press Council
    • Secretariat of Indonesian Central Information Commission
• Directorate General of Postal and Informatic Devices and Resources (Directorate General I)
  • DG I Secretariat
  • Directorate of Resources Management
  • Directorate of Resources Operations
  • Directorate of Postal and Informatic Devices and Resources Controllers
  • Directorate of Standardization of Postal Devices and Communication Devices
  • Indonesian Institute for Telecommunication Devices Testing (also known as Indonesian Digital Test House)
  • Class I Radio Frequency Spectrum Monitoring Centers (located at Jakarta, Tangerang, Medan, Pekanbaru, Palembang, Bandung, Semarang, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Denpasar, Kupang, Samarinda, and Makassar)
  • Class II Radio Frequency Spectrum Monitoring Centers (located at Batam, Pontianak, Manado, Jayapura, Merauke, Padang, Jambi, Bengkulu, Lampung, Banjarmasin, Palangkaraya, Mataram, and Palu)
  • Radio Frequency Spectrum Monitoring Stations (located at Pangkal Pinang, Gorontalo, Mamuju, Manokwari, and Tanjung Selor)
• Directorate General of Postal Services and Information Technology Operations (Directorate General II)
  • DG II Secretariat
  • Directorate of Postal Services
  • Directorate of Telecommunication
  • Directorate of Broadcasting
  • Directorate of Bandwidth Development
  • Directorate of Post and Communication Control
• Directorate General of Information Technology Applications (Directorate General III)
  • DG III Secretariat
  • Directorate of Informatics Application Empowerment
  • Directorate of Informatics Application Administration
  • Directorate of Informatics Application Services for Government
  • Directorate of Digital Economy
  • Directorate of Information Empowerment
• Directorate General of Information and Public Communications (Directorate General IV)
  • DG IV Secretariat
  • Directorate for Administration and Partnerships of Information and Public Communication
  • Directorate for Information and Public Communication of Politics, Legal, and Security Affairs
  • Directorate for Information and Public Communication of Economical and Maritime Affairs
  • Directorate for Information and Public Communication of Human Development and Cultural Affairs
  • Directorate of Media Management
• Inspectorate General of Communications and Digital Technologies
  • Inspectorate General Secretariat
  • Inspectorate I
  • Inspectorate II
  • Inspectorate III
  • Inspectorate IV
• Agency for Human Resource Development of Communication and Information Technology
  • Agency for Human Resource Development of Communication and Information Technology Secretariat
  • Center for Research and Development of Postal and Informatics Resources, Devices, and Operations
  • Center for Research and Development of Informatics Application and Public Information and Communication
  • Center for Professional Development and Certification
  • Center for Education and Training
  • "MMTC" Multimedia College
  • Indonesian Institute for Human Resource Development and Research in Communication and Informatics, Medan
  • Indonesian Institute for Human Resource Development and Research in Communication and Informatics, Makassar
  • Indonesian Center for Human Resource Development and Research in Communication and Informatics, Jakarta
  • Indonesian Center for Human Resource Development and Research in Communication and Informatics, Bandung
  • Indonesian Center for Human Resource Development and Research in Communication and Informatics, Yogyakarta
  • Indonesian Center for Human Resource Development and Research in Communication and Informatics, Manado
  • Indonesian Center for Human Resource Development and Research in Communication and Informatics, Banjarmasin
  • Indonesian Center for Human Resource Development and Research in Communication and Informatics, Surabaya
  • Indonesian ICT Training Center, Cikarang
• Agency for Telecommunication and Information Accessibility (Supervised Organization)
  • Directorate of Resources and Administration
  • Directorate of Finance
  • Directorate of IT Services for Enterprises
  • Directorate of IT Services for Public and Government
  • Directorate of Infrastructure
  • Internal Investigation Unit

Criticism

The ministry is often criticized for its censorship, as it blocks websites "to protect its citizen from hoax" [sic]. In 2020, the Director General Ministry Semuel Abrijani Pangerapan and Johnny G. Plate introduced a law that requires foreign companies to register under the Electronic System Operator list which could give the government access to the citizen's personal info and threaten the company to block access from the country if the company did not register. The law was revised and passed in 2021.^[3] In July 2022, a ban was implemented for several notable websites such as PayPal, Epic Games, Steam, Origin, and Yahoo, and games such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Dota 2 as they did not register under the ministry's new law.^[4][5][6] Paypal, Steam, CSGO, Dota 2, and Yahoo would later be normalized or access reopened again by 2 August 2022.^[7]

References

1. PERATURAN PRESIDEN REPUBLIK INDONESIA NOMOR 174 TAHUN2024 TENTANG KEMENTERIAN KOMUNIKASI DAN DIGITAL (PDF) (Presidential Decree 174) (in Indonesian). President of Indonesia. 2024.
2. admin. "Sejarah". Website Resmi Kementerian Komunikasi dan Informatika RI (in Indonesian). PDSI KOMINFO. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
3. "Permenkominfo No.5/2020 Menjadi Ancaman Baru Kebebasan Pers". Harian Jogja (in Indonesian). 22 July 2022. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
4. "Penyebab Kominfo Blokir Steam dan Situs Game Online Lain, Sampai Kapan Pemblokiran serta Apa Solusinya". beritadiy (in Indonesian). Pikiran Rakyat. 30 July 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
5. "PayPal Kena Blokir Kominfo Juga, padahal Sudah Terdaftar PSE". Kompas (in Indonesian). 30 July 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
6. "Kominfo Pastikan 8 Platform Digital Telah Diblokir: Steam, Epic Games hingga Paypal". Liputan6 (in Indonesian). 30 July 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
7. "Paypal, Steam, CS Go, Dota, dan Yahoo Telah Dinormalisasi / Dibuka Aksesnya" [Paypal, Steam, CS Go, Dota, and Yahoo have normalized / opened access]. www.kominfo.go.id (in Indonesian). 2 August 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2023.