Medan, North Sumatra (ANTARA) – The Ministry of Communications and Digital has stepped up the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based technology as part of its efforts to combat online gambling sites in Indonesia.
“We remain committed to exploring and utilizing technologies developed by the country’s youth,” Communications and Digital Minister Meutiya Hafid said in Medan on Wednesday.
To date, the Department has blocked access to approximately 3.2 million online gambling sites and continues to intensify eradication efforts.
“Essentially, the content keeps getting duplicated, and that’s what we found in the Hayam Uruk case,” Hafid said.
He pointed out that the international online gambling network currently exposed at Jakarta’s Hayam Wuruk Plaza Tower continues to disguise itself to avoid detection.
“One site can grow to 75 sites and continue to disguise itself to avoid detection by crawlers. But that is no reason to keep updating the technology,” the minister stressed.
Crawling refers to an automated process used by search engines or web bots to systematically scan and index web pages.
Hafid said the ministry is accelerating technological improvements in its efforts to remove online gambling content.
He added that crackdowns through site takedowns will be ineffective unless public awareness is strengthened.
A takedown is the removal or blocking of access to digital content, such as websites, images, or articles, on online platforms.
She emphasized the importance of public participation, including within households, in combating online gambling through non-technical approaches.
In addition, other actors such as the police, the Office of Financial Services (OJK), banks, and social media platforms also play a role in monitoring and removing online gambling advertisements.
Recently, Indonesian police dismantled an international online gambling network that operated from Hayam Uluk in Jakarta on May 9th. Authorities have arrested a person who was running an online gambling platform involving 320 foreigners, including 57 Chinese, 228 Vietnamese, 11 Lao, 13 Myanmar, three Malaysian, three Cambodian and five Thai nationals.
Police said the operation was highly organized, using electronic systems and organized cross-border digital networks.
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Translator: M. Savainy Nasution, Recinta S.
Editor: M Raj Rahman
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