Indonesia’s TikTok Shop ban to hit sellers, sparks regulatory debate on social commerce

[JAKARTA] Dava lost his job before he even got started. The 24-year-old had received an offer as a livestream manager for a fashion brand that sells goods on TikTok, before Indonesia’s government announced a ban on TikTok Shop last week.

“As the announcement made the news, I was contacted by the company,” he said. “They cancelled the offer letter they had previously extended to me. I was speechless, I don’t know what to tell my parents.”

During a press conference in Jakarta on Sep 27, Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan said there will be a one-week grace period before new rules prohibiting in-platform transactions on social media platforms such as TikTok kick in.