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Indonesia has reinstated TikTok’s operating licence after the video-sharing platform complied with government demands to share data on livestreaming during recent protests in the country.
The move came just one day after President Prabowo Subianto’s administration had suspended TikTok’s licence over the platform’s initial refusal to comply with the request for data, citing internal policies.
Indonesia is TikTok’s second-largest market after the US, with an estimated 150mn users.
TikTok disclosed the data in a letter dated Friday, the same day as the suspension, Alexander Sabar, a director-general at the Ministry of Communications and Digital Affairs, said in a statement late on Saturday.
“TikTok has submitted the requested data regarding traffic escalation and TikTok Live monetisation activities during the period of August 25-30, 2025, via an official letter dated October 3, 2025,” Alexander said.
TikTok, which is owned by Chinese tech group ByteDance, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Following the announcement of the suspension on Friday, TikTok had said it was working closely with the ministry to address the matter “constructively.”
The app was available in Indonesia despite the suspension of the licence.
TikTok was widely used during nationwide protests in late August over growing inequality in south-east Asia’s largest economy.
The demonstrations, which were initially sparked by revelations of lavish housing allowances for lawmakers, escalated into the most violent unrest in the country in decades following the death of Affan Kurniawan, a motorcycle taxi driver who was run over by an armoured police vehicle.
At least 10 people were killed at protests across the country, regional parliament buildings were torched and the homes of lawmakers and the former finance minister were looted.
As the protests intensified, TikTok said it was “voluntarily” suspending its live feature for a few days to maintain “a safe and civil space” on the platform.
The suspension had also raised concerns about restraints on civic space under Prabowo, a former general who has raised the military’s profile as he has consolidated power over the past year.
Indonesia remains an important market for TikTok, despite regulatory hurdles in recent years.
In 2023, the app was forced to shut down its ecommerce feature after the government of then-president Joko Widodo banned online shopping features on social media, citing the need to protect smaller businesses. TikTok then bought a 75 per cent stake in Tokopedia, the country’s biggest ecommerce player, which it merged with its shopping platforms.
