Indonesia Suspends TikTok’s Operating Registration Over Data-Sharing Failures

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Indonesia has suspended TikTok’s registration as an electronic systems provider after the company allegedly failed to hand over full data related to its live-streaming feature, according to a statement from the country’s communications and digital ministry on Friday.

The move technically gives authorities the power to restrict access to TikTok—used by over 100 million Indonesians—but as of Friday, Reuters reporters were still able to access the app normally. Officials have not yet clarified whether the suspension will lead to an outright block.

Ministry official Alexander Sabar said the suspension followed concerns that accounts linked to online gambling exploited TikTok’s live-streaming tool during recent national protests, which erupted over lawmakers’ allowances and police brutality from late August through September. TikTok had temporarily suspended its live feature during the unrest, saying it aimed to “keep TikTok a safe and civil space.”

According to Sabar, the government requested TikTok’s traffic, streaming, and monetization data, but the company, owned by China’s ByteDance, did not fully comply, citing internal company procedures. “The communications and digital ministry deemed TikTok to have violated its obligations as a private electronic provider,” Sabar said, explaining that the platform’s registration was therefore suspended.

Under Indonesian law, all registered digital service providers must share certain operational data with the government for oversight purposes or risk being blocked.

In response, a TikTok spokesperson stated that the company respects local laws and is working with authorities to resolve the issue.

The dispute highlights Indonesia’s tightening regulatory scrutiny over global tech platforms, following a broader regional trend toward data sovereignty—governments demanding access to digital companies’ data as a condition for market operation.

Judge Rules Activision Executives, Including CEO Bobby Kotick, Must Face Lawsuit Over Microsoft Takeover

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A Delaware judge has ruled that Activision Blizzard executives, including longtime CEO Bobby Kotick, must face most of a shareholder lawsuit accusing them of shortchanging investors during the company’s $75.4 billion sale to Microsoft.

In an 83-page decision issued Thursday, Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick of the Delaware Chancery Court said shareholders could move forward with their “core” claim that Kotick and other board members breached their fiduciary duties by prioritizing personal and managerial interests over those of shareholders.

The case, led by the Swedish pension fund Sjunde AP-Fonden, alleges that Kotick rushed into the deal to secure his position and an estimated $400 million in change-of-control benefits, while shielding himself from potential liability related to sexual harassment scandals at Activision. Shareholders further claim that the $95-per-share price undervalued the company—particularly as Activision’s performance improved during the 21-month regulatory approval process before the merger closed in October 2023.

Judge McCormick’s ruling found sufficient grounds to infer that Kotick “manipulated the sale process to favor Microsoft,” which she described as offering “speed, deal certainty, and—inferably—a friendly landing place.” She also found it “reasonably conceivable” that Activision’s directors placed Kotick’s interests above those of investors, potentially allowing a lowball sale while the company’s reputation and stock price were still weighed down by harassment allegations.

However, McCormick dismissed claims against Microsoft, noting there was no evidence the company actively participated in the alleged breaches, even if it may have “passively stood by.” Other secondary claims against Activision officials were also dismissed.

With the decision, McCormick signaled that “litigation on the merits of a trimmed-down version of the plaintiff’s complaint can now launch,” adding pointedly: “Game on.”

The case, Sjunde AP-Fonden v. Activision Blizzard Inc. et al, continues in the Delaware Chancery Court under docket number 2022-1001, marking another chapter in the post-merger fallout surrounding one of the gaming industry’s largest acquisitions.

OpenAI Seeks Dismissal of xAI’s Trade-Secret Lawsuit, Calls It Part of Musk’s “Ongoing Harassment”

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OpenAI has asked a U.S. federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Elon Musk’s startup xAI, which accuses the company of poaching employees to steal trade secrets. In a filing submitted Thursday, OpenAI described the case as part of Musk’s “ongoing harassment” campaign against the company he once co-founded.

The San Francisco lawsuit, filed by xAI last week, claims OpenAI engaged in a “deeply troubling pattern” of recruiting former xAI staff to gain access to proprietary information about its AI chatbot Grok, which it alleges is more advanced than ChatGPT.

OpenAI denied all allegations, calling them “false and unsubstantiated.” The company argued that employees are free to change jobs and that OpenAI has the right to hire talent from any competitor. “Under Musk’s leadership, talented xAI employees are leaving in droves, and some are coming to OpenAI to help advance OpenAI’s mission,” the filing stated. “Those employees have every right to go where they choose.”

OpenAI’s filing further accused Musk of using litigation as a distraction from xAI’s internal struggles, saying the startup is “hemorrhaging talent” to other firms. “This case is an attempt to intimidate OpenAI and distract from the failures of [Musk’s] own competitive AI effort,” the company argued.

Neither Musk’s representatives nor xAI’s attorneys immediately responded to requests for comment.

The dispute adds to a growing web of legal battles between Musk and OpenAI. Musk has already sued OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman over the company’s shift from a non-profit to a for-profit structure, while OpenAI has countersued Musk for harassment. Separately, xAI has sued Apple, alleging it conspired with OpenAI to suppress rival AI platforms—claims that both companies have denied and sought to have dismissed.

The escalating conflict underscores the intensifying rivalry within Silicon Valley’s AI race, where talent mobility, corporate secrecy, and massive investments have become flashpoints in the battle to dominate next-generation artificial intelligence.