TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – The Ministry of Communication and Digital Technology (Komdigi) has taken action against 49,239 online gambling content spread across various digital platforms within five days from November 29 to December 4, 2024.
Three popular Instagram accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers were targeted in this operation for promoting and being affiliated with online gambling sites.
“Following the instruction of President Prabowo Subianto and Minister of Communication and Digital Technology Meutya Hafid, we will continue to take firm action against those who contaminate the digital space with online gambling without discrimination,” said Acting General Director of Digital Space Supervision Komdigi, Alexander Sabar, in a statement on Wednesday, December 4, 2024.
The three blocked Instagram accounts are @literasi.story, with 439 thousand followers; @gadis.terkini, with 233 thousand followers; and @adeliaa.ajah, with 321 thousand followers. These accounts are suspected of using their popularity to promote online gambling sites massively.
Komdigi noted that from October 20 to December 4, 2024, 464,440 online gambling content was addressed. This content is spread across various platforms, including 428,969 websites and IP addresses, 19,250 accounts on Meta platforms, 9,842 on file-sharing platforms, 3,836 on Google or YouTube, 2,201 on X, 222 on Telegram, and 118 on TikTok. Since 2017, over 5.3 million online gambling content has been blocked.
Alexander mentioned that online gambling poses a serious threat to society. Besides causing financial harm, he stated that this practice also endangers mental health and personal data security. “Online gambling sites often use illegal platforms and lack clear privacy policies. Players’ personal data is highly vulnerable to misuse,” he said.
Komdigi calls on the public to report online gambling content through available channels, such as Aduankonten.id, WhatsApp at 0811-9224-545, and the Stop Online Gambling chatbot at 0811-1001-5080. “Collaboration from the public is crucial to ensure a clean digital space free from online gambling. Let’s fight this together,” expressed Alexander.
INTAN SETIAWANTY | IQBAL MUHTAROM
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