Jakarta. Indonesia has restored TikTok’s local operating license after the short video platform handed over requested data related to nationwide protests that took place between late August and September, government officials said Monday.

Alexander Sabar, a senior official at the Communications and Digital Ministry, confirmed that TikTok provided information detailing spikes in user traffic and monetization activities on its TikTok Live feature between Aug. 25 and 30. The data was submitted via an official letter dated Oct. 3.

The government had temporarily suspended TikTok’s status as an Electronic System Provider (PSE) on Friday evening, Oct. 3, citing the company’s failure to fully comply with earlier data requests. Despite the freeze, users reported that the app remained accessible on Friday evening, with content and live-streaming features operating normally.

“With the lifting of this suspension, TikTok users can resume normal activity while the government ensures that the digital ecosystem remains safe, transparent, and accountable,” the government said in a statement on Monday.

Indonesia is one of TikTok’s largest markets, with over 100 million users. The brief suspension raised public concern about possible curbs on freedom of expression under President Prabowo Subianto’s administration.

Officials, however, defended the move as a necessary step to trace accounts allegedly involved in illegal online gambling operations conducted through TikTok Live during the protests. “The data request was not about content control, it was about law enforcement,” Sabar said.

The protests began on Aug. 25 in front of Indonesia’s parliament building in Senayan, Jakarta, over lawmakers’ housing allowances. Demonstrations quickly spread nationwide after a motorcycle taxi driver was killed in a collision with a police vehicle, fueling public anger over economic inequality, political privilege, and police violence. Some reports said protesters vandalized lawmakers’ homes and torched government buildings in several cities. On Aug. 30, TikTok voluntarily suspended its TikTok Live service in Indonesia, citing safety concerns.

The freeze comes just days after Indonesia’s antitrust watchdog fined TikTok 15 billion rupiah (about 900,000 dollars) for failing to promptly report its acquisition of local e-commerce giant Tokopedia. TikTok acquired a 75.01 percent stake in early 2024, while GoTo retained 24.99 percent. Regulators said the company had until March 19, 2024, to file a report but missed the deadline.