Indonesia removes over 3 million harmful online posts, two-thirds linked to gambling

Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs has intensified its crackdown on harmful digital content, removing more than three million online posts between October 2024 and October 2025 — with the majority related to illegal online gambling.

The Ministry reported handling 3,053,984 pieces of negative content during the 12-month period, with 2,377,283 (about 78%) directly connected to gambling websites and promotions. Director General of Digital Space Supervision, Alexander Sabar, said that illegal gambling remains one of the country’s most complex and urgent online challenges.

According to official data, most of the deleted content originated from websites, file-sharing platforms and social media. Between October 2024 and September 2025, authorities took down over 1.9 million posts from websites, 97,000 from file-sharing services, 94,000 from Meta platforms, 35,000 from Google, and thousands more from X (formerly Twitter), Telegram and TikTok.

Sabar emphasized that the Ministry’s work goes beyond content removal — it involves close cooperation with national institutions such as the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK), the Financial Services Authority (OJK), and law enforcement to identify gambling-related payment flows.

He noted that the crackdown is not about restricting freedom of expression but protecting citizens from predatory gambling practices that can lead to addiction, fraud, and financial harm. The Ministry urged Indonesians to report gambling-related content through its official complaint portal.

The scale of removals reflects Indonesia’s strong stance against online gambling. Authorities confirmed that enforcement will continue, with increased monitoring of digital payment systems and advertising channels linked to illegal operators.