Steam and Epic Games blocked in Indonesia
A number of games platforms have been blocked in Indonesia.
That's according to Reuters, which reports that the country introduced new rules back in November 2020 that gave authorities greater power to force companies to release data about their users. Firms had until July 29th to register for a license to operate in the region.
Games companies affected include Steam – including its Dota 2 and Counter-Strike games – and Epic Games, but the likes of Yahoo and Paypal have also been cut off.
Research firm Niko Partners pointed out in a post that these blocks are not permanent and that the affected companies just need to apply for a license and obey the new regulations. The Indonesia Communications Ministry has apparently already reached out to the affected companies.
"All in all, the implementation of the PSE regulation can be seen as a positive step in terms of providing new opportunities and create fairness among all the game developers operating in Indonesia," authors Nahdia Laela Fijriah and Salsabila Aziziah wrote.
"However, the government needs to be aware that some of the regulations may cause potential harm to game developers due to a lack of clarity in some parts of the regulation. To address this, the government should consider re-examining the requirement and purpose of personal data sharing as well as its criteria for inappropriate contents."
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