Lots of People Are Confused About Indonesia’s Decision to Ban E-Commerce on TikTok. Here’s Why They Did It.

Online entrepreneurs like Monomolly, and her employees used to sell beauty products on TikTok but were forced to move to other platforms when the government banned use of the Chinese social media app to sell goods. BAY ISMOYO / AFP

The Indonesian government last week outlawed the use of TikTok to sell goods online goods, delivering a massive blow to the Chinese social media giant in its fastest-growing market in Southeast Asia.

Since the ban went into effect last Wednesday, there’s been a lot of confusion of what prompted the government to take such drastic action and whether it was designed to specifically target a Chinese company.

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by Antonia Timmerman

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