Indonesia to summon messenger, search engine providers over content

FILE PHOTO: The WhatsApp messaging application is seen on a phone screen August 3, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas White/File Photo

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's communications ministry said on Tuesday it will summon representatives from messenger services and search engine providers including Alphabet Inc's <GOOGL.O> Google to push them to clean up obscene content.

Indonesia on Monday vowed to block Facebook Inc's <FB.O> WhatsApp Messenger within 48 hours if the service did not ensure that obscene Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) images were removed.

"We will call all providers, including Google to clean up their network," said Semuel Pangerapan, a director general at Indonesia's communication and informatics ministry.

FILE PHOTO - The Google logo is pictured atop an office building in Irvine, California, U.S. August 7, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

(Reporting by Cindy Silviana; Writing by Ed Davies; Editing by Stephen Coates)