Internet mania hits Indonesia<\/p>\n
By T. Sima Gunawan<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The gateway to the information superhighway is
\nnow widely open to people in the country. With just one touch,
\nyou can gain access to the largest global computer network of the
\ncentury, the Internet. The hottest issues of a number of topics
\nare at your fingertips.<\/p>\n
Surfing the net has become a fast-growing global trend. Today,
\naround 32 million people in more than 160 countries all over the
\nworld can link their computers to telephone lines to reach the
\nnetwork. The Internet was first developed by the U.S. Defense
\nDepartment in the 1970s and became popular among Americans about
\nten years ago. Tinkering with the Internet is now a new
\nphenomenon in Asia.<\/p>\n
Getting into the Internet is like entering the magic kingdom.
\nEverything is there. You can learn of the latest development in
\nthe bloody Bosnian war, check out the best tourist destinations
\nin China, read your favorite comics, or download Playboy bunnies.
\nYou can read and also spread gossip about Hollywood celebrities,
\nchat with the other net users, or find a date through the
\nelectronic matchmaker. Of course, not all the material offered in
\nthe network is worthwhile. There is much that is foolish,
\nuninteresting, nasty and subversive.<\/p>\n
The negative aspect of entering the cyberspace has raised
\nconcerns among nations. The U.S. Senate has recently approved a
\nmeasure that would make online service providers criminally
\nliable for any obscene communications passing through the
\nsystems. In New Zealand, parliament is pondering the anti-
\npornography bill, which covers the transmitting of \"objectionable
\nmaterial\" over the network.<\/p>\n
Singapore has stated it would take legal action against
\ncultural and political subversion in the cyberspace. Hong Kong,
\nwhich temporarily closed down seven out of eight providers for
\nnot having licenses, said it was cautious about the \"cyberporn\".
\nChina announced last week that the government would limit local
\nusers' access to the Internet. Time reported in its latest issue
\nthat there are about 2,000 people in China who use the network.<\/p>\n
The Internet is relatively new to most Indonesians. The first
\nlocal provider, PT Indo Internet, started its operation only in
\nSeptember 1994. In the past few months, however, three other
\ncompanies, PT Rahajasa Media Internet, PT Aplikanusa Lintasarta
\nand PT Sistelindo Mitralintas, officially launched their services
\nas providers of Internet. Several other companies are also
\nplanning to provide access to the network.<\/p>\n
Director General of Tourism, Post and Telecommunication
\nJonathan L. Parapak, said he did was unconcerned about there
\nbeing many Internet providers in the country as he sees great
\nadvantages in the use of information through the network.<\/p>\n
He said he was aware of the negative aspects of the Internet,
\nbut he did not seem too worried about this.<\/p>\n
\"The Internet is not like TV. In television, once a program is
\non air, it will be seen by all viewers. But the negative things
\nspread through the Internet will not automatically reach the
\nusers,\" he told The Jakarta Post early this week.<\/p>\n
Owing to the fact that the flow of information can not be
\nstemmed, people themselves should be able to strengthen their own
\nmoral resilience, Parapak said.<\/p>\n
But he said that the government would not hesitate to take
\naction against those who spread negative issues through the
\nInternet. Parapak admitted that current legislation might not be
\nadequate to deal with problems that could emerge from the
\ncyberspace. Issues on copyrights and ethics relating to the
\nInternet, as well as the economic aspects, should be anticipated,
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Copyrights<\/p>\n
At the International Seminar on Property Rights Protection and
\nthe Role of Non Government Organizations in Hong Kong last month,
\nMark Traphagen, a counselor of Software Publishers Association,
\ndrew the attention of seminar participants to the opportunities
\nand threats for property rights that exist on the Internet.<\/p>\n
Computer analyst Zatni Arbi, who attended the seminar, quoted
\nTraphagen as saying that some users believe that, once a
\ncopyrighted work finds itself on the Net, the copyright
\nprotection is no longer fully in effect. Others even propose that
\nthere should be no protection at all.<\/p>\n
Software Publishers Association's opinion is that \"the
\nexistence and scope of copyright and other intellectual property
\nrights should not depend on the form in which they subsist.\" This
\nopinion is based on the fundamental principle of copyright laws,
\nthat is, that a work is protected regardless of the medium of
\nexpression in which it is recorded, Arbi said.<\/p>\n
\"Back in Indonesia, where the Internet is clearly gaining
\nmomentum, we're confronted with the fact that our existing
\ncopyright law is still ill-equipped to handle even conventional
\ncopyright infringements,\" he told the Post.<\/p>\n
\"It's a formidable task for our legislature, as we have to
\nkeep up with the rapid advances of technology and information
\ninfrastructure, updated international conventions and laws. We
\nneed more experts in the fields of information technology, law
\nand law enforcement.<\/p>\n
\"But, most of all, we need to realize that talks alone will
\nnot get us anywhere if we really want to protect the rights of
\nour own property rights holders as they, too, take advantage of
\nthe Internet,\" he said.<\/p>\n
While the discussion on the legal aspects of the Internet is
\nstill lingering, more and more people are being connected to the
\nnetwork.<\/p>\n
\"The business prospect of the Internet is very good,\" Dikdik
\nHasan, a director of PT Sistelindo, said. PT Sistelindo is a
\njoint company of USI IBM, Sisindosat of Indosat and Kopegtel of
\nTelkom.<\/p>\n
Hasan said Indonesia was the fourth country in Asia Pacific
\nafter Australia, Japan and New Zealand, to get access to IBM's
\nInternet services. IBM expanded the service to Hong Kong late in
\nMay and is planning to eventually reach the Philippines, Thailand
\nand Taiwan.<\/p>\n
The target of IBM's global network is business executives and
\nprofessionals.<\/p>\n
Since PT Sistelindo opened access to the Internet early in
\nMay, about 350 people have registered for membership.<\/p>\n
PT Lintas Artha launched Indonesia Online Access (Idola) on
\nMay 24 with a two-month free trial period. Arya Damar, head of
\ncommercial division of PT Lintas Artha, claimed that about 1,000
\npeople have shown an interest in plugging into the system.<\/p>\n
He said users are able to get the latest news and information
\nnot only from overseas, but also from inside the country as Idola
\ncooperates with the Kompas daily as well as several government
\ninstitutions, such as the Coordinating Board of the National
\nFamily Planning Board, the Office of the Ministry of Environment
\nand the Ministry of Industry.<\/p>\n
Idola operates in 11 cities throughout the country.<\/p>\n
About 2,000 people have entered the information superhighway
\nthrough Radnet, which was launched by PT Rahajasa recently. When
\nthe trial operation was over, around 600 people, including
\nexpatriates, and several corporations had signed up as fixed
\nmembers, according to Eko Priyono, the company's managing
\ndirector. Most of Radnet users are Indonesians who used to ply
\nthe information superhighway when they previously lived overseas.<\/p>\n
Radnet has 90 telephone lines and is planning to install
\nbetween 100 and 150 more lines to accommodate more user-access to
\nthe Internet.<\/p>\n
PT Indo Internet, with only 50 telephone lines, provides the
\nservice to 2,600 users.<\/p>\n
\"Many of them use the Internet to communicate with their
\nchildren who live aboard,\" the company's support official Chairul
\nRachman said.<\/p>\n
Registration fees to get into Internet starts from Rp 50,000,
\nwhile the lowest monthly membership fee is Rp 40,000 for 15 hours
\nof connection time. For an additional hour, the charge is between
\nRp 2,000 and Rp 4,500 (US$2.00).<\/p>\n
Corporates have to pay much more. Radnet, for instance,
\ncharges up to Rp 4 million for the registration\/installation fee
\nand Rp 5 million for unlimited use of the network.<\/p>\n
Free<\/p>\n
The online electronic network is also used by educational and
\ngovernmental institutions, including the University of Indonesia
\nin Jakarta, the Petra Christian University in Surabaya, and the
\nAgency for the Assessment and Application of Technology. People
\ncan also read the electronic bulletin board of the United States
\nInformation Service, which provides the service for free.<\/p>\n
The Data Center of the Trade Ministry, which is associated
\nwith the Agency for the Assessment and Application of
\nTechnology's network, Ipteknet, provides an online bulletin board
\nservice, especially for those interested in business and
\ninvestment.<\/p>\n
\"If you are connected to our system, you can get access to the
\nInternet. But our basic idea is not the Internet. We want to
\ndisseminate information on market opportunity, investment,
\ntechnology and human resources in Indonesia,\" Putu Surya Wirawan,
\nhead of the Data Center, said.<\/p>\n
There are about 2,500 users of the Data Center file, but not
\nall of them have access to all of the information. Putu said that
\nthe full service is provided strictly to serious users. Some
\npeople have registered at the Data Center online service just for
\nfun because everything is free.<\/p>\n
\"We are planning to charge the users so that we can support
\nour operation by ourselves,\" Putu said.<\/p>\n
The two key instruments to get access to the information
\nsuperhighway, computers and telecommunication facilities, are
\nwidely available. Around five million new telephone lines will be
\ninstalled throughout the country within four years. As for the
\ncomputers, reports said that the shipment of personal computers
\nto Indonesia reached 252,000 in 1994, a 51 percent increase from
\nthe previous year.<\/p>\n
Information has become a basic need in human life. The
\nInternet is still relatively new in Indonesia, but obviously it
\nwill soon become a trend among people. True, there are negative
\naspects of the Internet, which need to be anticipated, but there
\nare great advantages to be gained from the network, if we can
\nmake use of it wisely.<\/p>",
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