Monday, Mar 31, 2008    Text size: 

After the Indonesian government passed a new law that banned online pornography, hackers in the country protested by executing a cyber-blitz on the website of the nation's information ministry and posting a picture of a bare-chested male model along with a message.

"Congratulations on the law," the message read.

The nation's parliament passed the law last Tuesday. Under the new law, anyone who accesses an adult website or posts adult content can face up to 12 years in jail or up to $107,000.

Extensive filtering and blocking of online content also comes with the bill. These online filters go into action tomorrow.

Indonesia Information Minister Mohammad Nuh said that his country needed the law to stop what he said were pornography's harmful effects on society.

“I think we all agree there’s no way we can save this nation by spreading pornography, violence and ethnic hostility,” Nuh said. The law has also found support among the country's small but vocal population of hard-line Muslims.

But Zatni Arbi of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences has criticized the bill.

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

Various versions of this bill have been rolling around the Indonesian House of representatives for almost three years. A previous draft of the bill would have criminalized kissing in public.

The image appeared on the website last Thursday and remained there for 11 hours before being removed.