Government to revoke permits of errant ISPs allowing online gambling

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The government will not flinch from revoking operational permits of internet service providers (ISPs) found facilitating or allowing their users to access online gambling websites, Communication and Informatics Minister Budi Arie Setiadi emphasized.

“I would like to inform all ISPs that I will not hesitate to nullify your permits over facilitating online gambling. The government will also make the names of deviating ISPs public,” he remarked in a virtual press conference that was monitored in Jakarta on Friday.

The minister stressed that such firm action would be taken in a bid to protect Indonesia’s cyberspace from the practices of online gambling.

Setiadi then justified his warning, saying that the revocation of permits of ISPs facilitating online gambling conforms with applicable regulations, including Law No. 36 of 1999 on communication.

He further noted that in an effort to combat online gambling, the Communication and Informatics Ministry had devised a database system known as TRUST+Positif, which outlines a list of domains and URLs that must be blocked by 1,011 ISPs operating in Indonesia.

“We demand that ISPs conduct automatic synchronization to update the list of negative contents, including online gambling, and report to our TRUST+Positif platform,” he stated.

The minister then revealed that only 35 percent of the 1,011 ISPs had conducted automatic synchronization.

Setiadi then cited a field test conducted in the 2023-2024 period in which it was found that 26 out of 136 samples can still be used for accessing negative content, including online gambling and pornography.

Setiadi revealed that his ministry had imposed administrative sanctions in the form of initial reprimands on 26 ISPs and second reprimands on 31 ISPs.

“The government is committed to taking all necessary measures for eradicating online gambling,” he concluded.

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