Meta, TikTok and Google push back on Indonesia's AI copyright bill

Meta and TikTok joined Google on November 11 in pushing back against proposed revisions to Indonesia's copyright law, Reuters reported from Jakarta, as representatives of the three platforms testified at a parliamentary hearing.

What the bill would do

The revisions would require digital platforms to pay publishers for displaying news content and would set rules for AI. If passed, Indonesia could become the first country in Southeast Asia to incorporate AI into its copyright law. Suara.com reported that the bill would also strengthen protections for journalistic works and creators' economic rights.

The platforms' arguments

Agung Pamungkas, Google's Indonesia government affairs and public policy manager, told lawmakers that requiring compensation for showing links to news would limit Indonesians' access to news.

Berni Moestafa, Meta's public policy head in Indonesia, said publishers "could lose readership traffic as well as potential advertising and subscription revenue," adding that directing readers to an article is different from republishing it.

Noudhy Valdryno, TikTok's head of public policy in Indonesia, said disclosure requirements should not apply where AI is used only in an assistive capacity, and urged lawmakers to preserve safe-harbour protections because platforms cannot reliably determine copyright ownership or licences.

A regional template

The Next Web noted that platforms made similar arguments against Australia's news bargaining code and Canada's Online News Act, where Meta chose to block news rather than pay. A statute defining AI obligations in the world's fourth most populous country could serve as a template for other legislatures in the region.

Sources: Reuters (Investing.com), The Next Web, Suara.com