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TL;DR
Meta and TikTok joined Google at an Indonesian parliamentary hearing on Nov. 11 to object to parts of a proposed copyright-law revision covering news links and AI. The bill is still under deliberation, its current text was not available, and no vote date has been announced.
The proposal is a revision of Indonesia’s Copyright Law, Law No. 28 of 2014. Parliament approved it as a legislative initiative on March 12, 2026, and its Legislation Body, known as Baleg, is deliberating it with the government. According to Kompas, the Nov. 11 hearing included Google, Meta, TikTok, the Press Council and Satu Lisensi Indonesia.
The companies raised different objections. Google opposes payments for links and snippets, a single collective licensing body and mandatory licenses for AI training data. It also wants platforms to retain safe-harbor protection. Meta argued that sharing a link is not the same as republishing an article, and said payment duties could reduce traffic and revenue for publishers. TikTok objected to requiring disclosure when AI is used only as an assistive tool and also called for safe-harbor protection, according to the source material.
The companies’ objections came as representatives of the press argued that existing arrangements have not delivered enough support for journalism. The Press Council told lawmakers that platforms account for 80 percent of digital advertising and that traffic from platforms to news sites has fallen by as much as 70 percent. Those figures were presented by the council; the available material does not provide the periods, methodology or comparison baselines behind them.
Google also warned that a charge on news links could affect access to Indonesian reporting. Its representative said the company would have “no choice” but to stop crawling, indexing and distributing Indonesian news if required to pay a levy for doing so, Reuters reported. That is Google’s stated position, not an announced decision to withdraw those services.
Platforms challenge proposed AI copyright rules
Meta, TikTok and Google raised objections at a parliamentary hearing. The bill remains under deliberation, and its current text is unavailable.
What the platforms challenged
Their objections cover news payments, licensing, AI rules and legal protections.
Links and AI training
Opposes payments for links and snippets, mandatory AI-training licenses and a single licensing body. It also seeks safe-harbor protection.
Links are referrals
Argues that sharing a link is not republishing an article, and payment duties could reduce publisher traffic and revenue.
AI assistance disclosures
Objects to disclosure when AI is used only as an assistive tool and also seeks safe-harbor protection.
Why news access is part of the debate
Publishers and platforms describe competing risks for journalism and readers.
- Platforms account for 80% of digital advertising, it told lawmakers.
- It reported news-site referrals from platforms had fallen by as much as 70%.
- Meta says payment duties could reduce referrals and publisher revenue.
- Google warned it might stop crawling, indexing and distributing Indonesian news if charged a levy.
The proposal is still unsettled
Reported AI provisions come from a July draft, which was not final and may differ from the text now being discussed.
The Legislation Body and government are continuing discussions on the copyright-law revision.
The current draft was unavailable, so the final scope of news-link and AI obligations is unclear.
No parliamentary vote date was announced in the supplied reporting.
How Link Fees Could Affect News Access
The dispute concerns how news publishers are paid when their work appears on large digital platforms, and whether a link preview or search result should trigger compensation. If Indonesia adopts such a rule, it could alter the terms on which platforms carry or direct users to local news. Google’s warning points to a possible reduction in access if the company changes how it indexes news, while Meta argues that payment obligations could also affect publishers by reducing referrals. Those outcomes remain company claims and possibilities, not effects established by the bill.
The proposed AI provisions could also shape how developers use copyrighted material to train models and what protections creators receive when AI systems reproduce or imitate their work. The outcome matters to publishers, artists, software developers and platform users. Because the draft remains under debate and its latest text is unavailable, the practical reach of any new obligations is not yet clear.
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From 2014 Law to AI Provisions
Reuters reported on AI-related clauses in a July draft, citing a copy of the proposal. Hermansyah Siregar, a law ministry official overseeing intellectual property, confirmed that draft was authentic but said it was not final. He described it as the first explicit recognition of AI in Indonesia’s copyright law, according to Reuters.
As reported from that July version, the proposal would bar AI from imitating a creator’s “distinctive style,” require disclosure of AI use in content and protect AI-assisted works only when they meet a human-involvement standard. Fully AI-generated works would be excluded from protection under the described provisions. The draft did not define how much human contribution would qualify. It also proposed handling copyrighted works used to train AI through fair-use provisions or licensing agreements.
The July draft also contemplated compensation when platforms aggregate, republish or show previews of news, including use for AI training. Payments would be routed through state-supervised collective management organisations, with possible sanctions for noncompliance, including loss of local business permits, Reuters reported. These details should not be treated as confirmed provisions of the text currently being discussed: the draft has changed since July, and the current version could not be obtained.
The debate follows Presidential Regulation No. 32 of 2024, which requires digital platforms to support quality journalism. Dewan Pers deputy chair Totok Suryanto told lawmakers that compliance with that regulation is low and that it has not worked as intended, according to Aktual. The copyright bill would therefore revisit platform-publisher relations while adding a framework for AI and copyrighted works.
“A levy on links would leave Google “no choice” but to stop crawling, indexing and distributing Indonesian news.”
— Google representative Agung Pamungkas, as reported by Reuters
Current Draft and Vote Still Unclear
The full text now before Baleg was not available in the source material. The proposal has changed since the July version reported by Reuters, and reports refer to different versions. Google cited Articles 29 and 30 at the hearing, but those article numbers and their wording could not be independently checked against the current draft.
It is also unclear whether lawmakers will retain the July draft’s approach to AI-style imitation, disclosure, human contribution, training-data permissions, collective licensing and penalties. No date for a parliamentary vote was announced in the supplied reporting. The companies’ statements describe their positions, while the Press Council’s figures and complaints reflect its account; the source material does not include a full independent assessment of those claims.
Baleg Deliberations Set the Next Step
Baleg and the government are continuing deliberations on the proposed revision. The next developments to watch are publication or release of the updated text, further responses from publishers and platforms, and any announcement of a timetable for a vote. Until the provisions are settled and enacted, the bill’s proposed duties are not binding law.
The companies, publishers and lawmakers may still seek changes to the language on news links, licensing, AI training and platform liability. The current reporting does not establish what compromises, if any, are under consideration or when the debate will conclude.
Key Questions
Has Indonesia passed the AI copyright rules?
No. The proposed revision is still under parliamentary deliberation, and no vote date was announced in the source material.
What did Meta, TikTok and Google object to?
Google challenged payments for news links and snippets, mandatory AI-training licenses and a single collective licensing body, and sought safe-harbor protection. Meta said sharing links is not republishing and warned that payment duties could affect publisher traffic and revenue. TikTok argued that disclosure should not apply when AI only assists and also sought safe-harbor protection.
What AI rules were described in the July draft?
Reuters reported that the July version proposed rules on imitating a creator’s distinctive style, disclosing AI use, protecting some AI-assisted works, and allowing copyrighted works for training under fair-use provisions or licensing. That draft was not final, and the current text may differ.
Would Google stop showing Indonesian news?
Google’s representative warned that a levy on links could leave the company with “no choice” but to stop crawling, indexing and distributing Indonesian news. This was a warning about a possible response, not confirmation that Google has withdrawn or decided to withdraw those services.
What happens next?
Baleg and the government continue working through the bill. The current draft, any revisions and a possible vote timetable remain unconfirmed in the available reporting.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
