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TikTok in Talks with Indonesian E-commerce Firms about Partnerships

The TikTok logo is pictured outside the company's US head office in Culver City, California, US, September 15, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Blake
The TikTok logo is pictured outside the company's US head office in Culver City, California, US, September 15, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Blake
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TikTok in Talks with Indonesian E-commerce Firms about Partnerships

The TikTok logo is pictured outside the company's US head office in Culver City, California, US, September 15, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Blake
The TikTok logo is pictured outside the company's US head office in Culver City, California, US, September 15, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Blake

TikTok has been holding talks with Indonesian e-commerce companies about possible partnerships, an Indonesian minister said on Monday, a month after Southeast Asia's largest economy banned online shopping on social media platforms.
TikTok has spoken with five companies including GoTo's e-commerce unit Tokopedia, Bukalapak.com and Blibli, according to Teten Masduki, minister for small-medium enterprises (SMEs), Reuters said.
"Some e-commerce companies in Indonesia have talked to TikTok," he said in an interview, citing what the companies' executives told him.
Indonesia's trade ministry implemented the ban last month, aiming to protect smaller brick-and-mortar merchants and ensure the protection of users' data.
It was a particular blow to TikTok, which was forced to close its e-commerce service TikTok Shop. TikTok has 125 million users in Indonesia.
A TikTok Indonesia spokesperson was not available to comment.
Tokopedia declined to comment. A representative for Bukalapak said the company was unaware of such talks. Blibli did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
TikTok and YouTube are considering joining Meta in applying for e-commerce licenses in Indonesia after Southeast Asia's largest economy banned online shopping on social media platforms, people familiar with the discussions have said.
The app, owned by Chinese technology giant Bytedance, was also pursuing talks with local e-commerce players, they added.
Teten, one of the staunchest critics of TikTok Shop prior to the ban, said he has been tasked by President Joko Widodo to formulate rules on e-commerce.
He plans to meet TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew later this month.
"I want them to commit to have a sustainable business that does not harm domestic SME products," he said.
Teten also said he has proposed further regulations for the flow of imported goods into the country but did not provide details.
Until it stopped operations, TikTok Shop was delivering about 3 million parcels a day in Indonesia, sources have said.
Indonesia's e-commerce market is expected to grow to around $160 billion by 2030 from $62 billion this year, according to a report on Southeast Asia's internet economy by Google, Singapore state investor Temasek Holdings and consultancy Bain & Co.
Other major e-commerce players in Indonesia include SEA's Shopee and Alibaba's Lazada.

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Albania TikTok Ban Sparks Debate over Freedom of Speech

The TikTok logo is displayed outside TikTok social media app company offices in Culver City, California, on March 16, 2023. (AFP)
The TikTok logo is displayed outside TikTok social media app company offices in Culver City, California, on March 16, 2023. (AFP)
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Albania TikTok Ban Sparks Debate over Freedom of Speech

The TikTok logo is displayed outside TikTok social media app company offices in Culver City, California, on March 16, 2023. (AFP)
The TikTok logo is displayed outside TikTok social media app company offices in Culver City, California, on March 16, 2023. (AFP)

Every evening, Ergus Katiaj uploads a video on TikTok reminding customers that his shop in Tirana delivers potato chips, cigarettes and alcohol through the night. His phone buzzes with orders that add about 1,000 euros to his monthly profit.

But Katiaj will soon have to find a new way to attract business. Albania's government has imposed a year-long ban on the social media app that it says is aimed at reducing youth violence but which rights groups and business owners say threatens commerce and free speech ahead of May elections.

"It will have a huge impact on my business because most of the sales are through delivery thanks to TikTok's free marketing," Katiaj said as he made deliveries across the outskirts of the capital, Reuters reported.

Prime Minister Edi Rama announced the ban on Dec. 21 after a 14-year-old boy was stabbed to death in November by a fellow pupil, a crime that local media reports said occurred after the boys clashed online. TikTok is expected to be taken down in the coming weeks.

The move follows bans or partial bans in at least 20 countries due to worries about improper videos or security concerns linked to the app's owner, China-based ByteDance, and its proximity to the Chinese government.

In Albania, Rama said the decision came after discussions with parents and teachers, but opponents worry that it is part of the prime minister's crackdown on political dissent after a year of popular unrest.

"This creates a dangerous precedent that at any moment governments can close different platforms," said Orkidea Xhaferaj, from the Tirana-based think tank SCiDEV.

TikTok said it was seeking "urgent clarity" from the Albanian government because it says "multiple reports have in fact confirmed videos leading up to this incident were being posted on another platform, not TikTok."

Albania saw regular violent protests last year against the jailing of political opponents. Demonstrators threw petrol bombs at government buildings and police responded with tear gas and water canons.

The leaders of the two biggest opposition parties, Sali Berisha of the Democratic Party and Ilir Meta of the Freedom Party, are charged with corruption offences. They deny the charges, which they say are politically motivated.

Arlind Qori, the leader of the political party Bashke (Together) formed in 2022, said the TikTok ban curtails a powerful opposition communication tool.

"He wants to close our mouth," Qori said from his office where party supporters took refuge from the cold and discussed their campaign plans.

Rama insists the move is meant to protect young people. In an alleyway in central Tirana, a photo of the slain schoolboy hangs on an electric pole surrounded by withered flowers and messages from friends.

He was stabbed there and walked towards his school bleeding before an ambulance came.

"Inside China's TikTok, you don't see hooliganism, perversity, violence, bullying, crime," Rama said when announcing his decision last month.

"While in TikTok outside of China only scum and scoundrels. Why do we need this?"