Indonesian court rules that internet blocks amid social unrests lawful

According to a news report, the Indonesian Constitutional Court has ruled on Wednesday that the decision by the government to restrict internet access during social unrest is lawful. Activists have criticized the ruling as setting a ‘dangerous precedent for internet freedom’ in Indonesia which is the world’s third-largest democracy. The decision of the court was based on the fact that the government acted ‘within reason’ to forestall threat to public order. The decision effectively overturned a ruling by an administrative court last year that found the government’s decision to throttle internet access in the region of Papua during the 2019 demonstrations to be unlawful.