Twitter 'blocked' in Indonesia after X rebrand due to similarity with porn sites: Report

Indonesia has blocked 'X,' the Twitter rebrand by billionaire Elon Musk. The block is attributed to the country's laws concerning online pornography and gambling, according to reports.

On Sunday, Musk unveiled the rebranding of Twitter as 'X' as part of his ambitious vision to create an all-in-one application. Taking charge of the platform in October 2022, the Tesla CEO initiated a logo change by replacing the iconic blue bird with the new symbol on Monday. He sought input from users through crowdsourcing ideas over the weekend.

Additionally, Elon Musk shared that the domain X.com, previously used for PayPal, will now redirect to Twitter.com. Consequently, a vast number of Indonesians faced difficulties accessing the social media platform as it remained inaccessible in the country.

The Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Informatics clarified that the site's restriction was a result of its association with domains that had violated the nation's regulations concerning content deemed "negative" and non-compliant with the country's laws.

Usman Kansong, Indonesia's director-general of information and public communication at the Indonesian Ministry, has confirmed that the government is in communication with 'X' to seek clarification about the nature of the site.

“Earlier today, we spoke with representatives from Twitter and they will send a letter to us to say that X.com will be used by Twitter,” Kansong said.

According to reports, Twitter users attempting to access the platform received a message on their screens stating that the website had been blocked by the ministry due to its violation of local laws and regulations.

"At the behest of Elon Musk, Twitter officially rebranded to X (xdotcom). So if you type a url on the web, you will be redirected to Twitter. But apparently not in Indonesia," tweeted a user on the X social media platform (previously Twitter).

In 2022, the Indonesian government issued a threat to block several popular sites, including Netflix, Google, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. The government demanded that these platforms submit information “detailing the content that appears on their platforms”.