Conclusion

This wiki explores how Internet
users in Indonesia do not really enjoy freedom of speech online because they
could be put behind bars due to defamation and blasphemy. This wiki also shows
how powerless ordinary people are to accusations of defamation following the
issuance of the Electronic and Information Law in 2008.
One of the articles stipulates that anyone using electronic media to defame
others can be sentenced to a maximum punishment of six years in jail and a Rp 1
billion (US$68,190) fine.

Section one explored the growing use of the
Internet in Indonesia since the end of 1990s and the transformation of the
country as one of social media capitals of the world.  It was named the fifth most active
nation in terms of Twitter users by France-based research company Semiocast
in 2012. This
section also highlighted the background of the issuance of the law which has
something to do with the country’s political and social issues.

In
section two, we took a closer look at a
number of defamation cases between 2008 and 2014 when at least 71
people were brought to justice due to defamation, according to the Indonesian
Corruption Watch (ICW). An Indonesian
woman named Prita Mulyasari,
for instance, was detained following her online complaints on a hospital’s poor
service. Other cases include a man named Alexander Aan, who was jailed due to
blasphemy after making a public confession on Facebook that he was an atheist,
and a housewife named Wisty Yetty, whose ex-husband reporter her for making
indecent comments about him on Facebook private message.

Section three explored censorship on websites and
Internet content imposed by the Communications and Information Ministry
following the issuance of the ministerial decree No. 19/2014 on the handling of
Internet content deemed to be against the country’s moral and religious values.
Video-sharing website Vimeo and online forum Reddit
are among the websites blocked due to indecent content.

After
laying out the facts, we come to the conclusion that both the law and the
decree have drawn different interpretations because there are no clear
definitions on defamation and indecent content. The law should provide specific
details to prevent the misuse of the law. It is hoped that the information and
discussions in this wiki would spark more movements in the community to call
for action to law revision.

1. ↑ Human Rights Watch. (2009). Turning critics into criminals. Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/indonesia0510\_insert\_low.pdf.
2. ↑ National. (2014, April 11). ITE Law could lead to rights violations. The Jakarta Post.Retrieved from http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/04/11/ite-law-could-lead-rights-violations.html.
3. ↑ Semiocast. (2012). Twitter reaches half a billion accounts: More than 140 millions in the U.S. Retrieved from http://semiocast.com/en/publications/2012\_07\_30\_Twitter\_reaches\_half\_a\_billion\_accounts\_140m\_in\_the\_US
4. ↑ Prathivi, N. (2010, January 1). Banning Books: A flashback to the colonial era. The Jakarta Post. Retrieved from http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/01/10/banning-books-a-flashback-colonial-era.html.
5. ↑ Soloway, B. (May 15, 2014). Tifatul's Surprise Vimeo Ban Raises Freedom Concerns. Jakarta Globe. Retrieved from http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/features/indonesia-reels-surprise-vimeo-ban/.