U.S. Condemns South Africa’s Expulsion of Israeli Diplomat Amid Rising Diplomatic Tensions 
Uber Ordered to Pay $8.5 Million in Bellwether Sexual Assault Lawsuit 
Glastonbury is as popular than ever, but complaints about the lineup reveal its generational challenge 
Sony Q3 Profit Jumps on Gaming and Image Sensors, Full-Year Outlook Raised 
Newly Released DOJ Epstein Files Expose High-Profile Connections Across Politics and Business 
Columbia Student Mahmoud Khalil Fights Arrest as Deportation Case Moves to New Jersey 
South Korea Assures U.S. on Trade Deal Commitments Amid Tariff Concerns 
U.S. Stock Futures Slide as Tech Rout Deepens on Amazon Capex Shock 
OpenAI Expands Enterprise AI Strategy With Major Hiring Push Ahead of New Business Offering 
Anthropic Eyes $350 Billion Valuation as AI Funding and Share Sale Accelerate 
SoftBank Shares Slide After Arm Earnings Miss Fuels Tech Stock Sell-Off 
Gold and Silver Prices Rebound After Volatile Week Triggered by Fed Nomination 
Trump Family Files $10 Billion Lawsuit Over IRS Tax Disclosure 
Supreme Court Signals Skepticism Toward Hawaii Handgun Carry Law 
Global PC Makers Eye Chinese Memory Chip Suppliers Amid Ongoing Supply Crunch 
Debate over H-1B visas shines spotlight on US tech worker shortages 
Indonesia is set to introduce stringent trade regulations on social media transactions. During a recent parliamentary hearing, Deputy Trade Minister Jerry Sambuaga underscored the surge of "live" sales on platforms like TikTok, emphasizing a need to separate social media from direct sales.
The move comes in response to concerns that e-commerce sellers utilizing predatory pricing on social media platforms threaten offline markets in Southeast Asia's largest economy. Current trade regulations do not explicitly address direct transactions on social media, leading the government to take action.
During his statement to parliament, Sambuaga highlighted the example of sellers using "live" features on the popular short video platform TikTok to promote and sell goods. He emphasized that social media and social commerce should be kept separate. According to Sambuaga, revisions to the trade regulations that are currently underway will firmly and explicitly ban this.
In contrast, TikTok expressed concerns that separating social media and e-commerce into distinct platforms could hinder innovation. The company hopes the government will provide a level playing field for the industry, as separating the two could also disadvantage Indonesian merchants and consumers, according to TikTok Indonesia spokesperson Anggini Setiawan.
TikTok, with 125 million active users in Indonesia and 325 million active Southeast Asian users each month, has approximately 2 million sellers in Indonesia. However, the company has no plans to introduce cross-border operations in Indonesia amid concerns that its e-commerce push would flood the country with Chinese products. Meta's Facebook, which also features a marketplace, has yet to comment.
With a population exceeding 270 million, Indonesia recorded almost $52 billion worth of e-commerce transactions last year. Approximately 5% of these transactions occurred on TikTok, mainly through live-streaming, as noted in data from consultancy firm Momentum Works.
The Indonesian e-commerce sector is projected to reach $95 billion by 2025, according to a 2022 industry report conducted by Google, Temasek Holdings, and Bain & Company.
Photo: Nik/Unsplash
