RIM Ordered To Block Porn Sites In Indonesia

BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (RIM) has two weeks to block porn websites from its smartphones in Indonesia or risk being shut down, the Indonesian government has said.

Indonesia’s Communications and Information Technology Minister Tifatul Sembiring on Friday demanded the company comply with the country’s Electronic Information and Transactions Law, which prohibits transmission of adult material, false news and racial and religious hate messages over the internet.

In response to Sembiring’s statement, RIM announced it would cooperate with its carrier partners in restricting  access to porn websites among BlackBerry smartphone users in Indonesia.

“RIM has been engaged with its carrier partners and the government on this matter and continues to make it a top priority to implement satisfactory technical solutions with its partners as soon as possible” said the Canadian smartphone manufacturer.

Anti-pornography nation

According to Sembiring, the Ministry has not received any response from RIM’s representatives regarding a suggested meeting after its year-end review, where they were supposed to discuss the internet-filtering scheme.

“We invited them for a meeting again, but they said they were on vacation back in Canada. That is not an excuse,” said the minister.

Home to the world’s largest Muslim population, Indonesia has been trying to censor pornographic content from its cyber community for several years.

Its parliament has passed the Electronic Information and Transactions Bill in March 2008, allowing the courts to “accept electronic material as evidence in cases involving internet abuse”.

Anyone found guilty under the legislation could face up to six years’ imprisonment or a fine of one billion rupiah (£71,000).

BlackBerry threat linked to nationalism

Sembiring has associated his move with nationalism: “If there is nationalism in your heart, and should you want us to be a strong nation, I am certain a portion of you will agree to the points I have made here about RIM,” the minister tweeted on Sunday.

His threat  received strong support from Muhammad Jumadi, secretary general of the Indonesian Telecommunications Users Group, who claimed the problem was not just about RIM “failing to block access to porn sites, but it’s more about failing to comply with our laws. The ministry should be firm with its threat”.

However, this is not the first time that the BlackBerry manufacturer risks facing a ban over the content of messages on its service. In 2010, RIM agreed to install a server in Saudi Arabia, allowing the country’s authorities to monitor data on its BlackBerry devices.

The company has also given “initial approval” to block 3,000 porn sites at the request of Kuwait’s communications ministry, and agreed to let Indian security officers to oversee its BlackBerry services.

In the UK, communications minister Ed Vaizey wants to have adult content blocked by default, according to a recent newspaper interview, however ISPs have crit6cised the idea, saying it will be impossible to carry out.