Meutya Hafid, the Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs of Indonesia has reiterated the plans of the government to get rid of online gambling. The country strictly restricts the practice.
Hafid detailed the intensified efforts of the ministry, speaking at the event “Combating Online Gambling and New Crimes in the Era of Digital Economy 5.0” in Jakarta. It includes leveraging AI or artificial intelligence to detect and block illegal gambling content.
The ministry has blocked access to 5.1 million pieces of online gambling-related content since 2017. 3.5 million of those actions were taken this year alone.
Hafid emphasized the importance of the partnership in this fight, highlighting their intensive monitoring and blocking strategy. This includes special cyber patrols to detect sites and apps with gambling content.
The ministry restricted access to over 315,000 items between October 20 and November 18, 2024. This includes nearly 300,000 illegal IP addresses, as well as thousands of advertisements on platforms like Meta, Google, and Twitter.
Established in June, The Online Gambling Eradication Task Force has been a key player in these efforts. The task force works with other government entities like the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center or PPATK. This is to monitor suspicious financial transactions and cut off the flow of funds to illegal gambling operators.
Hafid encouraged financial service providers to support these initiatives. She said that for those still involved in financial transactions supporting online gambling, they should work together to monitor and stop this.
Hafid highlighted the important role journalists play in fighting online gambling by educating the public and influencing policy at the 2024 Komdigi Journalism Awards Summit, also held in Jakarta. This year’s summit recognized outstanding journalistic projects that brought light on the societal repercussions of gambling. It was themed, “The Impact and Challenge of Online Gambling in the Digital Era.”
