A civil sanction is needed as we cannot stop at apologies or blockings. There needs to be punishment and financial obligationsJakarta (ANTARA) - There needs to be a civil sanction for social media platforms carrying negative content, Minister of Communication and Informatics Johnny Gerald Plate believes.
"A civil sanction is needed as we cannot stop at apologies or blockings. There needs to be punishment and financial obligations," Plate said after a meeting with the House of Representative's Commission I in Jakarta, Tuesday.
The ministry sees negative content such as pornography, to not only touch on criminal codes that are applied in Indonesia but also have to do with ethics, morality and culture.
The government is currently formulating a revised regulation taken from the Government Law Number 71 of 2019 on Electronic Systems and Transactions Provision, often referred to as PP PTSE or PP71, to impose fines on platforms that disseminate negative content.
The fine ranges from Rp100 million to Rp500 million, or around $US7,000 to $35,000.
PP 71, a revised version of the PP 82 in 2012, calls for social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to be more active in addressing illegal content, as they possess the technology to prevent negative content from spreading across the platforms.
The government will not hesitate to impose fines as per the previously mentioned amount, based on the amount of content, should negative materials be found across the platforms.
The ministry expected the revised law on fines to be effective a year after the PP 71 is passed.
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Translator: Natisha A/Aria Cindyara
Editor: Gusti Nur Cahya Aryani
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