Google, Meta and TikTok object to Indonesian copyright amendments
Key Facts
Representatives of Google, Meta and TikTok objected on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, to proposed amendments to Indonesia’s copyright law during a parliamentary hearing, according to a Reuters report. The bill would require digital platforms to compensate publishers for displaying news content, as well as establish rules for the use of artificial intelligence. The proposal remains under discussion and is not in force. The hearing brings together two issues affecting how news is displayed on digital platforms and how works are created using artificial intelligence and how their rights are handled. Indonesia’s House of Representatives said the hearing was held at the parliament building in Jakarta.
Google’s objection focused on the possibility that the proposed payments could affect public access to news. Company official Agung Pamungkas said requiring platforms to compensate publishers for displaying links to their news content "would limit Indonesians’ access to news." That position puts links at the center of the debate: the bill addresses the display of news content on platforms, while Google argues that charging for the display of publishers’ links could restrict readers’ access. The report did not say the companies had filed a lawsuit; their representatives raised their objections during the parliamentary hearing. Nor, according to the report, did they announce a formal alliance against the bill.
Meta warned that requiring platforms to pay compensation could reduce reader traffic to publishers’ websites and affect their potential advertising and subscription revenue. The company said, "Publishers could lose reader traffic, as well as potential advertising and subscription revenue." Meta distinguished between directing a reader to an article through a link and reproducing or republishing the article, saying, "Directing readers to an article is different from reproducing or republishing it." Its position reflects concern that compensation rules could reduce referrals from platforms to publishers’ websites. The amendments’ stated aim is to regulate what platforms pay to display news content.
TikTok’s objection addressed another aspect of the amendments: disclosure of artificial intelligence use. The company’s representative asked that disclosure requirements not cover cases where AI is used only to assist, rather than create the content in full. The representative also urged lawmakers to retain safe-harbor protections for platforms, arguing that platforms "cannot reliably determine copyright ownership or licensing." This objection raises the question of responsibility when a platform hosts content or handles material whose rights ownership or licensing scope is unclear. It comes as part of a broader bill examining the creation of works using artificial intelligence and the ownership of their rights.
If passed, the amendments could make Indonesia the first country in Southeast Asia to include artificial intelligence in its copyright law, according to Reuters. The review agenda also addresses licensing challenges and revenue sharing on digital platforms, as well as updates to the management of performance rights and royalties, according to a document from the House of Representatives’ expert body. The bill is being considered as part of a broader legislative process: the House’s legislation body formed a working group after receiving a presidential letter and a list of issues from the government. The Ministry of Law is leading the discussions, with the participation of the ministries of trade, creative economy, communications and culture. These issues give the bill a scope extending beyond publisher compensation for news to copyright rules in the digital environment.
The House of Representatives included the copyright amendment bill among its priority bills to continue discussing with the government during the second parliamentary session of the 2026–2027 legislative year. The deputy head of the House’s legislation body said the large number of issues and new provisions could mean discussions continue in the next session, with additional stakeholder hearings possible. House Speaker Puan Maharani said accelerating the drafting of laws should preserve the quality of their content, legislative care and meaningful public participation. This means technology companies’ positions will remain part of a legislative process that has not yet been resolved. Consideration of the bill is set to continue in the second session, while the House has not set a final date for its passage.