Ministry of Communication and Informatics Blocks Almost 3 Million Online Gambling Content

JAKARTA,  Indonesia (June 17, 2024) – According to local media reports Minister of Communication and Informatics Budi Arie Setiadi has announced the significant progress made by his ministry in combating online gambling over the past year. From July 17, 2023, to June 13, 2024, the Ministry of Communication and Informatics successfully blocked approximately 2,945,150 pieces of online gambling content. This initiative is part of the ministry’s commitment to mitigating the adverse effects of online gambling on society, which include economic, social, and psychological harm.

The Indonesia News Agency ‘ANTARA‘ said the ministry’s efforts have not been limited to blocking online content. They have also proposed the closure of around 555 e-wallet accounts and requested the blocking of 5,779 bank accounts linked to online gambling activities, in coordination with Bank Indonesia and the Financial Services Authority (OJK) respectively.

In addition to these financial measures, the ministry has tackled the issue of gambling content on educational and government websites, handling 16,596 gambling page inserts on educational sites and 18,974 on government sites within the same timeframe. Furthermore, the ministry has issued warnings to major digital platforms like X, Telegram, Google, Meta, and TikTok, which are frequently used for disseminating online gambling content. These platforms face fines of up to Rp500 million (approximately US$29,000) per piece of non-compliant content if they fail to cooperate in eradicating online gambling.

To enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of these efforts, the ministry is exploring the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology from Google. This AI technology is expected to accelerate the processing of online gambling content reports.

Setiadi highlighted that the eradication of online gambling is mandated by Law Number 1 of 2024, the Second Amendment to Law Number 11 of 2008 concerning Electronic Information and Transactions. This law requires the ministry to prevent the dissemination of prohibited content by terminating access to such content.

Overall, the ministry’s comprehensive approach, which includes blocking content, freezing financial assets, and leveraging advanced technology, underscores its strong commitment to addressing the challenges posed by online gambling.

SOURCE: LI Staff.