Minister of Communication and Information Technology Urges Public to Combat Cyber Crime and Online Gambling Together

Jakarta, INTI - Minister of Communication and Information Technology (Menkominfo) Budi Arie Setiadi has called on all elements of society to work together to protect the digital space from cyber crime and online gambling. He emphasized that public participation can be realized through cross-sector collaboration.

"Cyber crimes, including online gambling, require upstream to downstream collaboration; it cannot be siloed. This means solving it cannot be done by one sector or at one point alone," he explained during the Inauguration and Induction of the Cyber Crime and Online Gambling Task Force RI-1 (Report and Investigation) in Central Jakarta, Friday (19/07/2024).

Kemenkominfo's Efforts in Blocking Online Gambling Content

Minister Budi Arie stated that the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology has been carrying out its duties and authority in accordance with existing laws by blocking online gambling content. However, additional affirmative steps are still needed to eradicate online gambling.

"Kominfo can only block the gambling access, so aspects like education and law enforcement, including the banking ecosystem, must also actively participate in combating online gambling," he said.

The Menkominfo emphasized that online gambling is very harmful to society and the country because economically, it does not create a multiplier effect.

"I always imagine online gambling as a pipe that just sucks the people's money. If you make instant noodles, for example, there is still a multiplier effect because it involves farmers and when sold, people can engage in selling activities," he explained.

Negative Impact of Online Gambling on the National Economy

Minister Budi Arie stressed the numerous adverse impacts of online gambling, such as the absence of tax revenue for the country since it is an illegal activity, harming society, and large sums of money flowing out of the country.

"So, our national economy will really be destroyed by online gambling, posing a clear threat to Golden Indonesia because it weakens our national economy," he added.

According to Minister Budi Arie, cyber crimes and online gambling in the global scope are known as extra-territorial crimes, meaning that every crime and perpetrator can come from any country.

"Therefore, cross-sectoral collaboration among stakeholders both domestically and internationally is absolutely necessary," he stressed.

Importance of Stakeholder Collaboration

The Menkominfo highlighted that digitalization is inevitable, so communication among stakeholders must be continuously strengthened to collectively create a safe, empowering, and sustainable digital ecosystem in Indonesia.

"The issue is that amidst the progress of digitalization, there is access called cyber security, which is the primary concern, and also the harmful practices of digital advancement, including online gambling, because the absorption power of online gambling is truly damaging," he asserted.

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