Meutya Hafid

Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs — Government of Indonesia

About Meutya Hafid

Key facts Role: Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs Organisation: Government of Indonesia Country: Indonesia Sector: Digital regulation Headline figures: About 235 million internet users (81.7 per cent penetration); PP TUNAS fines capped at up to 6 per cent of worldwide revenue On 22 September 2026 Meutya Hafid went to Roblox's headquarters in Silicon Valley with a list of demands. Indonesia's communication and digital affairs minister told the gaming platform's co-founder and chief executive, David Baszucki, to tighten age verification for under-16s and stop children being drawn into conversations off the platform. She also asked for regular compliance reports and a senior representative in Jakarta. "Indonesian rules apply to all platforms operating in the country, without exception," she said, according to Antara. Baszucki, the agency reported, said Roblox was prepared to comply and could apply the requested safeguards more widely around the world. The role The meeting sums up why she matters. Meutya regulates the digital lives of one of the world's largest online populations. The Indonesian Internet Service Providers Association (APJII) put internet penetration at 81.7 per cent in its 2026 survey, or about 235 million users out of 287 million people. Her ministry, renamed from the Ministry of Communication and Informatics when President Prabowo Subianto took office in October 2024, registers electronic system operators, sets child-safety rules and supervises the digital space and can suspend or block services that do not comply. Antara noted on her appointment that she was the first woman to hold the post. Background Before politics she was a television journalist. As a Metro TV reporter she was taken hostage in Iraq in 2005, an ordeal she later described in a book. She joined Golkar in 2009 and entered the House of Representatives in 2010 as a replacement member for North Sumatra. She was re-elected, and chaired Commission I, which covers defence, intelligence, foreign affairs and communications, from 2019 to 2024. Educated in Singapore and at the University of New South Wales, she was sworn in as minister on 21 October 2024. Child-safety rules Her signature policy is Government Regulation 17 of 2025 on child protection in electronic systems, known as PP TUNAS. Enforcement began on 28 March 2026 under a ministerial regulation that requires high-risk platforms to deactivate accounts belonging to children under 16. The first phase targeted eight major platforms. The day before enforcement began, she said X and Bigo Live were fully compliant and TikTok and Roblox partly so, while Facebook, Instagram, Threads and YouTube had yet to meet requirements, the national police news service reported. "Government is here so that parents no longer fight alone against the giant algorithms," she said, according to Kompas. She described the problem facing Indonesian children as a "digital emergency". The rules have teeth. In May 2026 her ministry published a formula for administrative fines under PP TUNAS, Bisnis Indonesia reported. Fines are capped at up to 6 per cent of a large or global company's worldwide revenue, and sanctions escalate from written warnings to fines, temporary suspension and termination of access. “Government is here so that parents no longer fight alone against the giant algorithms,” — Meutya, according to Kompas Regional impact Her regional impact lies in scale and precedent. A market of Indonesia's size can push global platforms to change products, and Baszucki's comments suggest measures demanded in Jakarta may be applied elsewhere. What to watch next: whether Meta and Google's platforms reach full compliance or face the first fines, whether Roblox opens a Jakarta presence, and how PP TUNAS enforcement expands beyond the first eight platforms. She ranks 20th because she has turned a large domestic market into leverage over the world's biggest platforms on child safety, and is using it. Sources Antara (L Kristianti, Tegar Nurfitra), Hafid urges Roblox CEO to ensure compliance with child safety rules , 22 Sep 2026 CNN Indonesia, Bertemu Bos Roblox, Meutya Minta Platform Patuh PP Tunas , 22 Sep 2026 Antara (Fathur Rochman), Survei APJII: Penetrasi internet di Indonesia 2026 capai 81,7 persen , 21 May 2026 Kompas (Galuh Putri Riyanto), PP Tunas Berlaku Besok, 8 Aplikasi Ini Wajib Blokir Akun Anak , 27 Mar 2026 INP (Indonesian National Police news), Indonesia Enforces 'PP Tunas' to Shield Children on Digital Platforms , 28 Mar 2026 Bisnis.com (Nur Amalina), Ini Formula Denda Administratif PP Tunas dan Hak Sanggah PSE , 6 May 2026 Bisnis.com (Ni Luh Anggela), Sosok Meutya Hafid yang jadi Menteri Komunikasi dan Digital, Pernah Disandera di Irak , 21 Oct 2024 Antara (Fathur Rochman), Menanti sepak terjang Menteri Komunikasi dan Digital Meutya Hafid , 21 Oct 2024

Why this entry is on the list

She ranks 20th because she has turned a large domestic market into leverage over the world's biggest platforms on child safety, and is using it. Her ministry regulates the digital space for about 235 million internet users, and its PP TUNAS child-protection rules, enforced from 28 March 2026, carry fines of up to 6 per cent of a large or global company's worldwide revenue.