Elon Musk's Twitter 'X' website being blocked for its gambling and porn history in Indonesia

Elon Musk's ambitious rebranding of Twitter as X has hit a snag as Indonesia temporarily blocks X.com due to the country's strict laws against gambling and pornography. While officials believe the issue stems from the previous owners of the web domain, who had violated Indonesia's content laws, it highlights the lack of thorough planning during the transition from Twitter to X.

The situation, however, is expected to be resolved swiftly. Usman Kansong, the Information Director General, assured the press that X has already reached out to address the problem. Twitter will soon take ownership of X.com, marking a mere formality rather than a significant legal hurdle.

This recent development adds to the growing list of challenges faced during the Twitter-to-X transition. Notably, Meta, Microsoft, and several other companies already hold trademarks on the name "X," opening the door to potential legal disputes. Furthermore, X might encounter difficulties in registering and protecting its own trademarks. Even the company's attempts at changing its signage faced setbacks, as permit issues halted the removal of the Twitter sign in San Francisco, leaving the "er" and the old bird logo intact.

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Elon Musk's vision for X involves transforming Twitter into a multi-functional "super app" akin to China's WeChat. The concept aims to expand X's services beyond social media, encompassing features like payments and messaging. 

In recent times, the platform has actively nudged users towards subscribing to the $8 per month Blue plan (Rs 650 on web and Rs 900 on mobile devices in India), which offers perks such as the ability to make much longer posts while limiting access to certain existing features.

Despite the momentary setback caused by the Indonesian ban, it is not a major roadblock for X. Nevertheless, this restriction means that approximately 24 million users in Indonesia are currently unable to explore X.com. Competitors, including Meta's newly launched Threads (which is already accessible in Indonesia), may see this as an opportunity to capitalise on the situation and gain an edge over X.

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