Govt Threatens to Block Other Apps after Telegram
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Kamis, 1 Januari 1970 07:00 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The government threatens to block social media apps, besides Telegram, used by terrorist groups if they providers fail to cooperate in counterterrorism measures. “We have to anticipate and tackle radicalism,” the National Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Martinus Sitompul told Tempo yesterday.
The statement was made after the government shut down Telegram app which was widely used by terrorist groups to spread radical ideas and plan acts of terror. Martinus said that the social media platform was popular among terrorist due to its security.
Read: Communication Ministry Says Telegram App Remains Accessible
After the blocking of Telegram, the terrorists may have switch to other instant messenger services. Therefore, Martinus said that the police will tighten monitoring on internet activities, particularly those containing radical content.
Should the police found any radical content, they will ask the Communication Ministry to block the platform. “We will also take legal actions against accounts that spread hate and radical ideas that lead to terrorism,” Martinus said said.
Read: Police Chief: Terrorists Prefer Communicating via Telegram
The Communication Ministry official Semuel Abrijani Pangerapan said that the ministry continues to communicate with service providers based in Indonesia. “All service providers must cooperate with the government,” he said.
The Indonesian government has earlier blocked Telegram web version for security reasons. Eleven DNS have been shut down, including t.me, telegram.me and telegram.org. The steps were taken because the platform did not provide a standard operating procedure to handle terrorism.
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