Prevent Online Gambling, Kemenkomdigi Must Close Inactive Government Sites

JAKARTA - Member of Commission I DPR Syamsu Rizal supports the steps taken by the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Kemenkomdigi) to close websites and inactive government social media accounts. This policy is considered important in preventing the misuse of sites by online gamblers (judol) and increasing national cyber security.

"This policy reflects the government's seriousness in protecting state digital assets and public data from the threat of cyber crime. This is a good momentum to accelerate digital transformation that is safe and with integrity," said Syamsu Rizal as quoted by ANTARA.

As a member of the Judol Working Committee (Panja), Syamsu Rizal emphasized that many inactive government sites have been used by online gamblers to operate illegally. Related to this, the Ministry of Communication and Trade's steps are considered the right action and must be fully supported.

"We at Panja Judol have seen firsthand how the government websites that are not actively misused by judol actors. The Ministry of Communication and Trade's steps are very precise and need full support," he explained.

However, Syamsu Rizal emphasized the importance of mapping the number of inactive sites and analyzing the causes, whether due to budget constraints, lack of human resources (HR), or other factors.

If the government's website is not active due to budget constraints, Syamsu Rizal recommends a special allocation of funds for site maintenance and improvement of cybersecurity systems. He also emphasized the importance of increasing human resource capacity through training involving universities and the technology industry.

In addition, he encourages routine monitoring of the security and activation of government websites. In fact, the DPR recommends awards for innovative agencies and sanctions for those who neglect to manage their websites.

"Commission I of the DPR is ready to support this policy through the function of budget and supervision so that it can run continuously," he said.

In addition to closing inactive sites, Syamsu Rizal assessed that the Ministry of Communication and Trade needs to consolidate government digital services. He invited all government agencies to evaluate and improve digital infrastructure to be more modern and safe.

He also emphasized the importance of migrating important content from inactive sites to safer centralized platforms. This step will make it easier for people to access information without the risk of being hacked or misused by irresponsible parties.

"This is the first step in strengthening digital infrastructure, improving technology-based public services, and optimizing the IT budget more targeted," he concluded regarding the closure of websites and inactivated government social media accounts.