After being blocked by the Indonesian government for failing to comply with a newly introduced law, Steam’s block had finally the block removed. In a Twitter post early August 2, 2022, The Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Information (Kominfo) announced a list regarding which digital companies finally complied with the new law’s terms.

Halo SobatKom!
Berikut ini update status terkini mengenai Pendaftaran Penyelenggara Sistem Elektronik (PSE) pada beberapa PSE Lingkup Privat meliputi PayPal, Valve Corp, dan Yahoo.#BersamaKominfo #KitaMakinTahu #PSE pic.twitter.com/h6formwHsR

— Kementerian Kominfo (@kemkominfo) August 2, 2022

The Indonesian government has introduced strict measures regarding Internet regulation, resulting in many digital companies being blocked for not complying with the terms of their new law. The Ministerial Regulation 5 (MR5) came onto the scene in November 2020, requiring all local and foreign digital companies to register with the government. These measures are required to ensure that online platforms “do not contain or facilitate the distribution of prohibited content,” with the Indonesian government given access to monitor whatever is pushed on these platforms.

Many digital companies have voiced their complaints regarding the terms surrounding this new law, leaving many unable to open their services within Indonesia. Luckily for Steam, Valve complied, regaining the love Indonesian gamers had along with games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Dota 2. One of the biggest digital companies, and one of the most important, to get hit with the blocks is PayPal. PayPal is the backbone of many modern-day freelancers, and because it officially operates outside of Indonesia, Indonesian freelancers are left without a way to withdraw money.

Thankfully the Indonesian government recognizes the seriousness of that issue, according to The Verge. Starting July 31st, 2022, the Indonesian government will set out to unblock access to PayPal for five days, “to give users a chance to withdraw money and make payments.” Indonesia’s new law will continue to have unfortunate effects for its citizens, with Epic Games and other game companies still being blocked, keeping the anger of Indonesian citizens on Twitter alive and well.

The good news is that Valve has registered with Kominfo and Steam is now officially unblocked and accessible in Indonesia.

However, Epic Games Store / Services and EA’s Origin still remained blocked and there is no official confirmation on whether they plan to register yet. https://t.co/0BwK16Hpzl

— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) August 2, 2022