Meta Blocks 1.65 Million Online Gambling Content, Minister Of Communication And Information: We Appreciate

Minister of Communication and Information Budi Arie Setiadi (photo: Dinda Buana/VOI)

JAKARTA - As an effort by the Ministry of Communication and Information in eradicating online gambling, some time ago the Minister of Communication and Information Budi Arie Setiadi has given a strong warning to Meta regarding online gambling content on its platform.

Based on reports received by Kominfo until October 11, 2023, Meta has followed up on the reprimand and removed more than 1.65 million gambling content, as well as more than 450,000 gambling advertisements targeting users in Indonesia.

"Meta turned out to respond very well to the warning I sent. We appreciate the concrete Meta step," Budi said at his press conference on Friday, October 20.

According to Budi, Meta's quick move in following up on the Kominfo's strong reprimand shows that handling online gambling content requires serious commitment from all parties.

"Through this commitment, our content takedown efforts can complement each other with platform efforts so that online gambling management can take place much more optimally," he concluded.

Budi also mentioned that the social media platforms operating in Indonesia are all obedient to the rules of the Ministry of Communication and Informatics regarding blocking content on their respective platforms.

"No (real social media platforms), they obey, TikTok obeys, Meta top, Google top," Budi told the media crew.

However, Kominfo cannot target when online gambling content in Indonesia can be completely eradicated. "We don't have a target time. But what is certain is that we are serious. We continue to communicate with all existing stakeholders, both from law enforcement and platforms," he said.