Purwokerto (ANTARA) \u2013 Eriene Chindy Octaviandini, a cybercrime law\nacademic at Jenderal Soedirman University (Unsoed) in Purwokerto, said\nthe government\u2019s blocking of online gambling websites was a positive\nstep in efforts to combat internet gambling in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Speaking in Purwokerto, Banyumas regency, Central Java, on Wednesday,\nshe said the efforts by the Ministry of Communication and Digital\nAffairs (Komdigi) and the police deserved appreciation, particularly the\nblocking of illegal sites and enforcement action against online gambling\nactivities.<\/p>\n
\u201cLooking at the government\u2019s efforts, in terms of the scale and work\nof the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs and the police,\nthey deserve appreciation,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She said the various blocking and enforcement measures showed that\nthe government was seeking to limit public access to online gambling\nsites operating in the digital space.<\/p>\n
However, she cautioned that blocking websites was not fully effective\nin stopping gambling, as operators could create new domains, change IP\naddresses, or use virtual private networks (VPNs) and alternative DNS\nservices.<\/p>\n
She therefore called for stronger law enforcement strategies based on\na \u201cfollow the money\u201d approach to trace financial flows and cut off\nfunding for online gambling businesses.<\/p>\n
She said real-time coordination should be strengthened among law\nenforcement agencies, the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis\nCentre (PPATK), Bank Indonesia, banks and digital payment providers, so\ntransactions suspected of being linked to online gambling could be\ntraced and acted on promptly.<\/p>\n
\u201cGambling is a profit-based industry. If the websites keep changing\nbut their payment channels, such as bank accounts, e-wallets or crypto\nassets, are shut down, their businesses will be paralysed,\u201d she\nsaid.<\/p>\n
In addition to tracing financial flows, she said international\ncooperation should be strengthened to tackle online gambling networks\nthat use servers or operate from overseas.<\/p>\n
She said this could be pursued through mutual legal assistance and\ncross-jurisdictional law enforcement coordination.<\/p>\n
\u201cFirm action against law enforcement officials found to be involved\nin protecting, taking bribes from or running online gambling networks is\nalso important,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She said officials involved should face criminal proceedings, rather\nthan only ethical or administrative sanctions, to ensure a deterrent\neffect.<\/p>\n
She hoped these stronger strategies would complement the government\u2019s\nwebsite-blocking efforts, so that the campaign against online gambling\nwould not merely restrict access to sites but also disrupt operational\nnetworks and cut off their funding.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis should make efforts to tackle online gambling in Indonesia more\neffective and help reduce the recurrence of gambling activities in the\ndigital space,\u201d Eriene said.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/unsoed-academic-calls-online-gambling-website-blocks-a-positive-step-1791967940", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }