RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – At the end of February 2026, Wikipedia contributors based in Indonesia were reportedly unable to edit articles on the site because they could not log in. The Indonesian government’s controversial move, citing the fact that Wikipedia’s parent organization had not yet registered with the government, was given as the reason.

Wikipedia describes itself as "the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit". Managed by the nonprofit Wikimedia Foundation, the site allows anyone to create new encyclopedia articles on a wide range of topics and edit existing ones, including adding supporting photos, audio, and videos.

Wikipedia is considered the world's largest online encyclopedia, with more than 7.1 million articles in its English-language edition alone as of 2026. The site ranks as the 11th most popular website globally according to Similarweb, posited alongside major commercial websites such as Google and Facebook.

In Indonesia, the Indonesian-language edition of Wikipedia is the 22nd largest, with more than 765,000 articles to date and supported by over 4,000 active users. Interestingly, Wikipedia is also available in 16 other regional languages in Indonesia, ranging from Javanese to Buginese in Sulawesi.

However, Wikipedia’s development in Indonesia has been hampered since Wednesday, 25 February 2026, when Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Digital blocked the subdomain auth.wikimedia.org, which allows users to log in. As a result, users have been unable to access their accounts, including creating new articles or editing existing ones.

According to a press release on Friday, February 27, 2026, the Ministry of Communication and Digital restricted Wikipedia’s login feature because the Wikimedia Foundation had not fulfilled its obligation to register as an Electronic System Operator (PSE) in the private sector. The Director General of Digital Space Supervision, Alexander Sabar, emphasized that the measure did not block all services under the Wikimedia Foundation, including Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons—the directory of freely usable files.

"Access to the main wikimedia.org page and all informational content remains available. The restriction applies only to the authentication feature, so users cannot log in or create new accounts," he said in Jakarta.

Under this policy, the public can still read and use all information available on Wikimedia. During the restriction period, however, activities requiring user accounts, such as editing or creating new articles, cannot be carried out.

The obligation to register as a Private PSE is regulated under the Minister of Communication and Informatics Regulation No. 5 of 2020. The regulation requires every electronic system operator, whether domestic or foreign, whose services are available and/or used within Indonesia’s jurisdiction, to register.

Acco rding to him, official notification had been delivered to the Wikimedia Foundation since November 2025 and was accompanied by two deadline extensions until 20 January 2026. As of the restriction imposed, the registration requirement had still not been fulfilled.

"PSE registration is a governance instrument to ensure legal certainty and accountability for digital service providers operating in Indonesia," Alexander explained.

He stated that access could be normalized once the Wikimedia Foundation "submits a commitment and completes the registration process in accordance with applicable regulations". He added that the policy constitutes enforcement of administrative obligations applicable to all electronic system operators, regardless of legal form, business model, or nonprofit status.

However, several segments of society oppose the blocking of Wikipedia’s login access. One of them is the Indonesian Coalition for the Democratization and Moderation of Digital Space (Koalisi Damai, literally "Peace Coalition"), a coalition consisting of 16 civil society organizations in Indonesia.

In a statement released Monday, March 2, 2026, Koalisi Damai said the government’s move “hampers” the collaborative knowledge-production process that has long been built by the public. They argued that the restriction also obstructs editors in curating and monitoring the accuracy of information.

"The impact… is significant for Indonesia’s education sector, as the potential spread of inaccurate information becomes more difficult to correct without the active involvement of verified editors," the statement said.

Furthermore, the coalition considers the restriction to “extend” the list of digital rights violations in Indonesia and to be “contrary” to democratic principles and human rights. They urged the Ministry of Communication and Digital to immediately lift the block on Wikipedia’s login page and to guarantee the right to remedies for affected individuals and entities.

"Blocking login access to an open knowledge platform contradicts global commitments to safeguard information integrity without sacrificing freedom of expression and the right to information," the statement said.