Indonesia Set to Pass Bill Banning Online Porn

JAKARTA — The Indonesian House of Representatives is poised to pass a bill that would criminalize viewing and distributing online pornography, imposing years in prison and hefty fines against offenders.

In addition to criminalizing adult website use and operation, the bill will institute extensive filtering and blocking of online content in Indonesia. The country’s Information and Communications Ministry plans to begin wide scale blocking of adult websites on April 1, according to the Jakarta Post.

The bill, dubbed the Electronic Information and Transactions Law, applies to more than just sexually explicit content. Under the law, any person found guilty of transmitting pornographic content, “false news,” or racial and religious hate messages via the Internet could face up to six years in prison, and fines of more than $100,000. The new law will also permit Indonesian courts to accept electronic material as evidence in cases involving Internet abuse.

Information Minister Mohammad Nuh said this week that the law was needed in order to allay the negative impact of harmful Internet content on Indonesian society.

“I think we all agree there’s no way we can save this nation by spreading pornography, violence and ethnic hostility,” Nuh said.

While the bill is expected to pass, it is not without its critics, who worry that Indonesian police might abuse the new legislation.

“I agree if the bill is aimed at protecting children from accessing adult sites,” said Zatni Arbi of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences. “But I am afraid the police will see it as a chance to extort money from people receiving spam porn emails.”

Arbi said that the police could raid users before they could delete pornographic spam messages they have received, and accuse them of violating the new law. He also expressed concern that the government’s efforts to block and filter adult sites will not work.

“The draft law may raise a good point but I am worried about the implementation,” Arbi said. “Censoring is not that easy, as violators can easily find tricks to access and provide porn sites.”

Nuh said that it is not the government’s intent to criminalize Internet use through the bill, but to educate people and reduce misuse of the Internet.

“We expect to raise people’s awareness of the need to minimize Internet abuse,” Nuh said. “We hope people use the software we have provided.”

The law, various versions of which have been debated by the House of Representatives since 2005, has had several of its most controversial provisions eliminated. A previous iteration of the bill included a stipulation that would have criminalized kissing in public.

Related:  

Copyright © 2024 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Nebraska AV Bill Moves Forward Despite Privacy, Free Speech Concerns

Nebraska’s unicameral Legislature has given first-round approval to LB 1092, the state’s version of the age verification bills being sponsored around the country by anti-porn religious conservative activists.

AEBN Celebrates 25th Anniversary

The Adult Entertainment Broadcast Network (AEBN) is celebrating its 25th year in business this week.

Performers in Meta Blacklisting Lawsuit Seek to Preserve Antitrust Claims

Adult Performance Artists Guild board officers Alana Evans, Kelly Pierce and Ruby have informed a California court that, although they want to drop their lawsuit claiming that Meta conspired with OnlyFans to blacklist rival premium fan platforms’ talent, they may still pursue antitrust claims in the future.

FSC, Co-Plaintiffs to Ask US Supreme Court to Review Constitutionality of Texas Age Verification Law

Free Speech Coalition (FSC) and its co-plaintiffs in the challenge to Texas’ controversial age verification law have petitioned the United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit to stay its recent decision upholding the law, because they intend to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to review the law’s constitutionality.

FSC Vows to Fight Florida Age Verification Law

Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has issued a statement vowing to continue fighting Florida’s new age verification law, which was signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday as part of a comprehensive bill targeting minors’ use of social media.

Kansas Republican Aims to Create New Bureaucracy to 'Investigate' Porn Websites

Republican state legislators succeeded Monday in moving forward Kansas’ version of the age verification bills being sponsored around the country by anti-porn religious conservative activists, despite serious concerns raised by House Democrats about the cost of establishing a new bureaucracy tasked with investigating websites for pornographic content.

SK Intertainment Launches 'Skinfluential Management' Agency, FansFuel Joint Venture

Mr. Skin/Mr. Man parent company SK Intertainment has launched new creator agency Skinfluential Management, as well as a new joint venture with Showbizz Media's creator stats and affiliate marketing platform, FansFuel.

Industry Attorney, Free Speech Champion Clyde DeWitt Passes Away at 75

Noted industry attorney Clyde DeWitt passed away on Friday in Las Vegas at 75, according to friends and colleagues.

APClips Names Avery Jane 'Creator of the Month'

APClips has named Avery Jane its Creator of the Month for March.

JustFor.fans Offers Gumroad Users Platform to Sell NSFW Artwork

JustFor.fans (JFF) is offering Gumroad users a platform to sell NSFW artwork after the latter banned adult content.

Show More