CNA Explains: What do Indonesia's new licensing rules mean for tech companies? - CNA

JAKARTA: Indonesia has asked technology companies, both at home and overseas, to register themselves by Wednesday midnight (Jul 27) if they want to continue to operate in the country. 

The government has warned that companies that do not sign up in time would be blocked.

As of Wednesday afternoon, just under 9,000 entities – 8,500 of which are local firms – have registered themselves via a website run by the Indonesian Communication and Information Technology Ministry. Among those that have signed up include tech giants Alphabet Inc, Meta Inc and Twitter Inc.

But there are many other technology companies that have not registered and are therefore at risk of being banned from offering their services in the archipelago. Among these companies are some of the world’s biggest e-commerce services, web browsers and social media platforms.

The new licensing regulation applies to local and foreign companies which offer services ranging from search engines, social media, streaming services and fintech to email providers, messaging applications and online games.

Observers are worried that the ministerial regulation on Electronic System Operators will stifle innovation as companies first have to be licensed by the communications ministry before they can start offering their services to users in Indonesia.

Meanwhile, critics warned that the regulation poses a threat to freedom of expression and privacy as it allows law enforcers and government agencies to monitor the platforms and order tech firms to remove content deemed as unlawful.

WHAT THE REGULATION IS ABOUT 

Passed in November 2020, the ministerial regulation on Electronic System Operators, known in Indonesia by its abbreviation PSE, requires technology firms to provide a general outline of how their systems work. Companies also need to disclose the type of user personal information that they are storing and processing.

However, the government did not start enforcing this requirement until recently because of the pandemic. 

The communications ministry argues that the regulation is just administrative in nature.

“This is just so that we know who is operating digitally in Indonesia and the type of services they provide. Unless (these companies) are committing a corporate crime, they have nothing to fear,” the ministry’s director general for applied information sciences, Semuel Pangerapan said during a press conference last week.

But the regulation also stipulates that technology firms must provide access to law enforcement and government agencies so they can better monitor their platforms.

Government agencies can also order companies to take down content that is violating Indonesian law or deemed to be “disturbing public order”. Such content needs to be removed between four and 24 hours.

Companies must also agree to provide law enforcement and government agencies with the personal data of specific users on the platforms.

WHY THERE ARE CONCERNS

There have been concerns over the impacts of the regulation.

“We feel that the term ‘disturbing public order’ is too broad … and can be used by government agencies to curb peaceful criticisms directed at the authorities,” advocacy group Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network (SAFEnet) said in a statement last month.

Technology experts have also expressed the same concerns, saying that the regulation allows the government to invade people’s privacy as it enables enforcement agencies to look at private e-mails, messages and even documents stored on cloud platforms.

“Accessing such information must be done for investigation purposes only and the decision has to be made by a court of law,” Pratama Dahlian Persadha, chairman of research firm Communication and Information System Security Research Center, told CNA on Tuesday.

Currently, the regulation states that such access can be given for “monitoring and law enforcement purposes”. It does not mention the need to secure a court order.

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2022-07-27 10:14:00Z
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China Economy Strengthens Despite Housing Mortgage Boycott, Covid Outbreaks - Bloomberg

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1. China Economy Strengthens Despite Housing Mortgage Boycott, Covid Outbreaks  Bloomberg
2. China's economy strengthens in July despite housing,...  Daily Maverick
3. Chinas economy strengthens in July despite housing crisis, covid woes  Business Standard
4. China’s Economy Strengthens in July Despite Housing, Covid Woes  BNN
5. View Full coverage on Google News

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2022-07-26 02:23:00Z
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What are those tiny, flaky balls that sometimes form on the skin when you're putting on skincare products? - Channel NewsAsia

If you find your skincare often pilling, perhaps you’re using more products than your skin can handle, and using too much of each type of skincare.

Try paring down your regimen, and using skincare with the same kind of base, like only water-based products or only oils, for example, to reduce chances of flaking. Gently pat in a small amount at a time and put it on in layers, waiting for each layer to absorb, instead of rubbing large portions of it on your skin at one time.

It may also be worth exploring using tools that help in absorption, such as skincare devices and massage tools such as the newly launched Est.Lab LumiGlow SmartSkin Buddy. 

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2022-07-25 22:42:00Z
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UK PM hopeful Liz Truss pledges to crack down on Chinese firms like TikTok - The Straits Times

LONDON (BLOOMBERG) - Foreign Secretary Liz Truss pledged to crack down on Chinese-owned companies such as social-media giant TikTok as she traded blows with Rishi Sunak in their first head-to-head debate of the race to succeed Boris Johnson as British prime minister.

"We absolutely should be cracking down on those types of companies, and we should be limiting the amount of technology exports we do to authoritarian regimes," Truss said on Monday (July 25) during the debate on BBC TV.

Truss's comments on TikTok, the popular video-sharing app owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance, builds on Sunday's back-and-forth between the two contenders on how to deal with China, with both politicians criticizing each other for their past approaches.

The pair are locked in a six-week runoff to replace Johnson as Conservative Party leader, and spent Monday attacking each other's policy pledges.

The Tory grassroots membership is set to select a winner, with the result due to be announced on Sept 5.

Sunak, who previously served as chancellor, earlier described China as the "biggest long-term threat to Britain and the world's economic and national security," and promised to limit its influence in the UK.

But Truss said Monday that as recently as a month ago, Sunak was pushing for closer trade relationships with China while serving as chancellor.

She said the tougher stance was actually driven by her Foreign Office. "I'm delighted that you've come round to my way of thinking," Truss said.

"Whether it's taking the alternative to the Chinese Belt and Road with our G-7 colleagues, whether it's being clear that Taiwan should be able to defend itself in the face of Chinese aggression - we have led on that, and frankly, what we've heard from the Treasury is a desire for closer economic relations with China."

Sunak countered, pointing to a time when Truss talked about having a "golden era" of relationships with China, with a desire for deeper collaboration on issues like food security and technology.

He cited his work on the National Security and Investment Act, a law which came into force this year and enables the UK government to unpick or block deals deemed to be a national security risk.

But the former chancellor also said he and Truss share more views in common than disagreements, and on China it was clear that whoever becomes the next leader will temper Britain’s previous enthusiasm for links with the world’s most populous nation.

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2022-07-25 21:59:37Z
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Malaysia warns of weaker Q3 palm oil price as Indonesia scraps export levy - CNA

Indonesia this month scrapped its export levy for all palm oil products until Aug 31 following a series of attempt to boost exports and ease high inventories, and is also considering removing a domestic sales rule for exporters.

As a result, average crude palm oil prices for the third quarter are projected to range between 4,800 ringgit (US$1,078.41) and 5,200 ringgit (US$1,168.28) a tonne, also weighed by better production in Malaysia, Zuraida Kamaruddin said.

Prices are expected to rise to 5,000-5,500 ringgit per tonne in the fourth quarter with the resumption of the export levy in Indonesia and an expected decline in production, she added.

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2022-07-25 04:48:00Z
1509865385

China Belt and Road Spending in Russia, Sri Lanka Falls to Zero - Bloomberg

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China Belt and Road Spending in Russia, Sri Lanka Falls to Zero  BloombergView Full coverage on Google News
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2022-07-25 04:46:00Z
CAIiEHB7fvoEY9zuvUSkaGIJKiEqGQgEKhAIACoHCAow4uzwCjCF3bsCMIrOrwM

Commentary: No cause for alarm over 'Centaurus', the new Omicron subvariant BA.2.75 - CNA

CAMBRIDGE: A new COVID-19 variant has recently been detected in several countries including the United Kingdom, United States, India, Australia and Germany.

Called BA.2.75, it’s a subvariant of Omicron. You might have also heard it called “Centaurus”, the name of a constellation and given to BA.2.75 by a Twitter user.

The World Health Organization has classified BA.2.75 as a variant of interest, rather than a variant of concern. This means it’s being monitored but there’s not yet evidence it will cause problems.

The numbers of BA.2.75 infections are still relatively low. Most infections in the UK remain driven by the Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5. BA.5 in particular is similarly dominant in other countries where BA.2.75 has been detected.

However, BA.2.75 is becoming more common in India (where it was first detected, back in May), suggesting it has advantages relative to current circulating variants. Some have noted that BA.2.75 is spreading in regions of India where it doesn’t have to compete with BA.5, but rather with the variant it evolved from, BA.2.

That said, some data from India indicates that BA.2.75 may have already peaked. And importantly, there hasn’t been a big increase in hospitalisations or deaths in India from BA.2.75. Given this, BA.2.75 has quickly gained an additional nickname: a “scariant”.

A FEW MUTATIONS IN BA.2.75, BUT NOT FUNDAMENTALLY A DIFFERENT VIRUS

As most of the global population has now either been vaccinated, infected, or both, variants which can infect people despite their immunity will have an advantage. So SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) is constantly evolving to gain this advantage.

New variants which have mutations that evade our immunity will replicate and spread, leading to waves of infections. We’ve seen this most recently with BA.4 and BA.5.

The memory immune system recognises infections based on molecular structures of viruses and other pathogens. Mutations change the molecular structure of each SARS-CoV-2 variant slightly, making it more difficult for our immune system to recognise and respond to the virus. This is often called immune evasion.

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2022-07-24 22:08:49Z
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