Government Ready to Regulate VPNs to Crack Down on Online Gambling

Jakarta – The government, through the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs (Kemenko Polkam), is preparing regulations on the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and more effective blocking technology to combat online gambling and other illegal content.

“We are targeting two outcomes: effective blocking technology and VPN regulations,” said Syaiful Garyadi, Assistant Deputy for Data Protection and Electronic Transactions Coordination at the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs.

According to him, VPN services are often used to access illegal content, including online gambling and pornography, because currently there are no regulations governing their use. These regulations are expected to prevent the misuse of VPNs to access negative content.

Syaiful explained that the Ministry of Communication and Digital currently blocks 5,000 to 9,000 pieces of illegal content each week. However, similar sites often reappear after the blocks are implemented.

“Our Komdigi colleagues are like firefighters, putting out a fire but the source of the fire is never extinguished,” he said.

Therefore, the government is encouraging the use of more effective technology to block access to illegal content, so that efforts to eradicate online gambling and similar violations can be more optimal.

Meanwhile, Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), Puan Maharani, also addressed the rise of manipulative business practices that harm society at the Annual Session of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR RI). Addressing President Prabowo Subianto, she assessed that practices such as illegal mining, online gambling, drug trafficking, and smuggling constitute a serious threat to the nation.

“We are facing a harsh reality: a small segment of society, despite all their advantages, is exploiting the people and natural resources through manipulative business practices,” Puan said.

She emphasized that the profits obtained by these manipulative business actors have far exceeded reasonable limits.

“Their profits have exceeded the limits of rational civilization,” she said.

The government hopes that the VPN regulations to be formulated will be an important instrument in eradicating online gambling, while also protecting the public from the negative impacts of illegal content in the digital space.*