Indonesia’s online porn crackdown nets 380,000 content removals

Authorities have also blocked dozens of social media groups and accounts, including some promoting incest and child porn

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An Indonesian man reads a pornographic magazine at a news stand in Jakarta in 2005, before the passage of Indonesia’s Pornography Law. Photo: AFP

Published: 1:57pm, 21 May 2025Updated: 2:00pm, 21 May 2025

Indonesia has removed nearly 380,000 pornographic images, videos and posts from the internet over the past seven months in a sweeping effort to protect online spaces, particularly for children.

The material formed part of 1.8 million pieces of harmful digital content that have been taken down since October, according to Alexander Sabar, director general of cyberspace supervision.

Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi) prioritised the removal of pornographic material to curb its spread and shield children from harmful exposure, Sabar, who took office in January, told the Antara news agency.

Komdigi, established during President Prabowo Subianto’s cabinet reshuffle in October last year, replaced the former Communication and Information Ministry. Since its formation, the ministry has blocked 29 Facebook groups, 50 accounts, and 19 posts for violating anti-pornography regulations. Additionally, 17 accounts on the social media platform X have been shut down for similar breaches.

On Tuesday, police arrested six people accused of distributing pornographic content involving women and underage children via two Facebook groups promoting incest, named Fantasi Sedarah and Suka Duka, local media reported

Children in Jakarta use digital devices to browse the internet earlier this month. Photo: AFP

The ministry has since worked with Meta, Facebook’s parent company, to block the groups and others connected to them.

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Indonesia’s online porn crackdown nets 380,000 content removals

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Authorities have also blocked dozens of social media groups and accounts, including some promoting incest and child porn

Authorities have also blocked dozens of social media groups and accounts, including some promoting incest and child porn