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Govt blocks Telegram messaging service
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On alert: Personnel of the National Police's Densus 88 counterterrorism squad are on guard on May 30 after they raided houses of suspected terrorists in Kampung Bugis, Kenali Besar, Alam Barajo, Jambi, in the previous day.
(Antara/Wahdi Septiawan)
T
he Communications and Information Ministry blocked on Friday 11 Domain Name Systems (DNS) owned by the encrypted messaging application Telegram after collecting evidence that the app is being widely used by local terrorists to communicate and spread radical ideologies in the country.
As a result of the policy, users have been unable to access the program on the web, but could still use its app on smartphones.
However, the ministry's director-general of information application Samuel Abrijani Pangerapan said that his office was also looking to block the mobile-based Telegram app after blocking the 11 DNSs.
According to Samuel, the ministry had discovered several Telegram channels dedicated to promoting radicalism, terrorism, hate speech, as well providing steps to make bombs and carry out terror attacks. He adding that Telegram did not have a standard operating procedure (SOP) on the handling of content related to terrorism.
“We are now also preparing to block the Telegram app nationwide if Telegram does not comply with and SOP on the handling of content violating laws. The measure is taken to protect the country [from threats of terrorism],” Samuel said in a statement made available to The Jakarta Post on Friday.
Jakarta-based Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) director Sidney Jones has said recently that “Telegram is the app of choice for terrorists, because its encryption and privacy protections are more stringent than other applications.”
She added that Bahrun Naim, an Indonesian fighting in Syria for the Islamic State (IS) group, often used a public channel available on the app to give an instructions for amaliyah, a term often used by extremist groups to mean an attack or suicide bombing.
