--- title: "Indonesia Blocks Twitter, Thinking the “X” Was a Porn Thing" description: "Indonesia has announced that it blocked the domain \"X.com,\" which reportedly used to host \"negative\" adult and gambling-related content." date: "2023-07-27" modified: "2023-07-27" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/indonesia-blocks-twitter-x-porn-thing" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "elon musk" - "indonesia" - "the digest" - "twitter" --- # Indonesia Blocks Twitter, Thinking the “X” Was a Porn Thing ![Indonesia has announced that it blocked the domain "X.com," which reportedly used to host "negative" adult and gambling-related content.]() *\Image: Futurism\* ## Porn Ban Twitter CEO Elon Musk has renamed the social media platform to "X," seemingly, because it [sounded cool back in the late 1990s](). The abrupt change, which was rolled out in the [most chaotic way possible]() this week, has already drawn plenty of attention and criticism, from easily avoidable [workplace safety violations]() to [possible copyright lawsuits](). Now, Indonesia has chimed in by announcing that it's blocking the domain "X.com," which it says used to host "negative" adult and gambling-related content, [*Al Jazeera* reports](). In other words, Musk's eleventh-hour rebrand is ruffling all kinds of feathers — which doesn't bode well, considering he [promised investors]() last year that "Twitter 2.0" will have 1 billion users by 2024. ## Ex Ex Ex It's a pretty big hit for the platform, as Indonesia has roughly 24 million Twitter users — and a population of a quarter billion total — though it's unclear how long the block will remain in place. Usman Kansong, the director general of information and public communication at the ministry, told local media that "we spoke with representatives from Twitter and they will send a letter to us to say that X.com will be used by Twitter," as quoted by *Al Jazeera*. But it's not just the domain's shady past that should worry officials. Musk has been [welcoming back]() a whole host of questionable personalities, from COVID-19 deniers to conspiracy nuts, and right-wing extremists. Most recently, Musk [reinstated the account]() of a user who shared child exploitation pictures, saying the company would remove the offending posts instead of blocking the account outright. In short, the billionaire's quest to turn the site into an "everything app" that can take care of your banking needs — a dream he's had since co-founding a company that later turned into PayPal in the 1990s — is off to a riotous start. **More on X:** *[Elon Musk Seizes @X Account From Guy Who Owned It]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()