When President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo visited Silicon Valley earlier this week, playing virtual reality ping pong with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and discussing with Twitter’s co-founder Jack Dorsey the prospects of using social media to counter radicalism, he certainly looked like a political leader ready for the 21st century.
But back home in Jakarta, some of his aides were taking decisions that could take the country back to the medieval period.
Just as Jokowi visited the headquarters of Google, Facebook, Twitter and Plug and Play to deliver the message that Indonesia is serious about expanding into the digital economy, the Communications and Information Ministry announced a plan to block microblogging website and social network Tumblr in Indonesia due to the presence of some explicit content considered to be pornographic or to be promoting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) relationships.
The move not only sparked outrage in social media, but also raised questions on whether the ministry is capable of translating Jokowi’s tech initiative into helpful policies and action.
“Well, it is simply because the ministry was unable to translate Jokowi’s initiative, which I believe was caused by existing mechanisms introduced by previous administrations,” said social media activist Shafiq Pontoh, one of several social media activists invited by Jokowi for a lunch at the State Palace last year.
Following a meeting with the panel that oversees and classifies internet content, which found 477 sites, including Tumblr, containing pornographic videos featuring heterosexual relationships as well as LGBT couples, the ministry sent a statement to Tumblr, which is based in New York, demanding the website “adjust” its content in Indonesia.
Shafiq questioned the capacity of the panel members to make that call, adding that internet content management required joint efforts as well as public participation.
“For example, instead of banning certain websites, why not just let parents decide which content is suitable for their children. This is also an education for children, of course,” he said. “Involving people in spreading positive content to counter negative content is also important, and people will eventually understand and prefer to read the positive content.”
In late January, the Information Ministry decided to block 24 radical websites to prevent the dissemination of radical ideas that could contribute to terrorism, bringing the total to 33 -- which is little compared to pornographic websites. Up to date, the ministry has blocked more than 6,700 websites, 90 percent of which contained pornography.
Wahyudi Djafar, a researcher at the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (ELSAM), said relevant ministries and agencies should strive to meet the new challenges in information technology in the 21st century.
“The problem lies in the management of internet content and the mechanisms to ban content. All relevant ministries and institutions must now start to improve their capacity,” he said. “Regarding radicalism, the BNPT [National Counterterrorism Agency] must also start its work on Jokowi’s plan to use social media to counter radical propaganda, including by involving the public.”
It was not the first time Jokowi’s administration took steps seen as undermining his efforts. Late last year, Transportation Ministry Ignasius Jonan backtracked on a plan to ban a mobile app for hailing ojek (motorcycle taxis) following a public outcry and concern expressed by Jokowi, who has been supporting innovation of public transportation.
Information Ministry spokesperson Ismail Cawidu said the ministry had been flexible in its decision on Tumblr, saying that “not all Tumblr accounts” contained pornography.
“However, up until now, it is impossible for operators and ISP [Internet Service Providers] to ban those accounts only. Therefore, we asked Tumblr to adjust its content to make it consistent with social values and existing regulations,” he said as quoted by the Antara news agency.
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