Internet mania hits Indonesia

By T. Sima Gunawan

JAKARTA (JP): The gateway to the information superhighway is now widely open to people in the country. With just one touch, you can gain access to the largest global computer network of the century, the Internet. The hottest issues of a number of topics are at your fingertips.

Surfing the net has become a fast-growing global trend. Today, around 32 million people in more than 160 countries all over the world can link their computers to telephone lines to reach the network. The Internet was first developed by the U.S. Defense Department in the 1970s and became popular among Americans about ten years ago. Tinkering with the Internet is now a new phenomenon in Asia.

Getting into the Internet is like entering the magic kingdom. Everything is there. You can learn of the latest development in the bloody Bosnian war, check out the best tourist destinations in China, read your favorite comics, or download Playboy bunnies. You can read and also spread gossip about Hollywood celebrities, chat with the other net users, or find a date through the electronic matchmaker. Of course, not all the material offered in the network is worthwhile. There is much that is foolish, uninteresting, nasty and subversive.

The negative aspect of entering the cyberspace has raised concerns among nations. The U.S. Senate has recently approved a measure that would make online service providers criminally liable for any obscene communications passing through the systems. In New Zealand, parliament is pondering the anti- pornography bill, which covers the transmitting of "objectionable material" over the network.

Singapore has stated it would take legal action against cultural and political subversion in the cyberspace. Hong Kong, which temporarily closed down seven out of eight providers for not having licenses, said it was cautious about the "cyberporn". China announced last week that the government would limit local users' access to the Internet. Time reported in its latest issue that there are about 2,000 people in China who use the network.

The Internet is relatively new to most Indonesians. The first local provider, PT Indo Internet, started its operation only in September 1994. In the past few months, however, three other companies, PT Rahajasa Media Internet, PT Aplikanusa Lintasarta and PT Sistelindo Mitralintas, officially launched their services as providers of Internet. Several other companies are also planning to provide access to the network.

Director General of Tourism, Post and Telecommunication Jonathan L. Parapak, said he did was unconcerned about there being many Internet providers in the country as he sees great advantages in the use of information through the network.

He said he was aware of the negative aspects of the Internet, but he did not seem too worried about this.

"The Internet is not like TV. In television, once a program is on air, it will be seen by all viewers. But the negative things spread through the Internet will not automatically reach the users," he told The Jakarta Post early this week.

Owing to the fact that the flow of information can not be stemmed, people themselves should be able to strengthen their own moral resilience, Parapak said.

But he said that the government would not hesitate to take action against those who spread negative issues through the Internet. Parapak admitted that current legislation might not be adequate to deal with problems that could emerge from the cyberspace. Issues on copyrights and ethics relating to the Internet, as well as the economic aspects, should be anticipated, he said.

Copyrights

At the International Seminar on Property Rights Protection and the Role of Non Government Organizations in Hong Kong last month, Mark Traphagen, a counselor of Software Publishers Association, drew the attention of seminar participants to the opportunities and threats for property rights that exist on the Internet.

Computer analyst Zatni Arbi, who attended the seminar, quoted Traphagen as saying that some users believe that, once a copyrighted work finds itself on the Net, the copyright protection is no longer fully in effect. Others even propose that there should be no protection at all.

Software Publishers Association's opinion is that "the existence and scope of copyright and other intellectual property rights should not depend on the form in which they subsist." This opinion is based on the fundamental principle of copyright laws, that is, that a work is protected regardless of the medium of expression in which it is recorded, Arbi said.

"Back in Indonesia, where the Internet is clearly gaining momentum, we're confronted with the fact that our existing copyright law is still ill-equipped to handle even conventional copyright infringements," he told the Post.

"It's a formidable task for our legislature, as we have to keep up with the rapid advances of technology and information infrastructure, updated international conventions and laws. We need more experts in the fields of information technology, law and law enforcement.

"But, most of all, we need to realize that talks alone will not get us anywhere if we really want to protect the rights of our own property rights holders as they, too, take advantage of the Internet," he said.

While the discussion on the legal aspects of the Internet is still lingering, more and more people are being connected to the network.

"The business prospect of the Internet is very good," Dikdik Hasan, a director of PT Sistelindo, said. PT Sistelindo is a joint company of USI IBM, Sisindosat of Indosat and Kopegtel of Telkom.

Hasan said Indonesia was the fourth country in Asia Pacific after Australia, Japan and New Zealand, to get access to IBM's Internet services. IBM expanded the service to Hong Kong late in May and is planning to eventually reach the Philippines, Thailand and Taiwan.

The target of IBM's global network is business executives and professionals.

Since PT Sistelindo opened access to the Internet early in May, about 350 people have registered for membership.

PT Lintas Artha launched Indonesia Online Access (Idola) on May 24 with a two-month free trial period. Arya Damar, head of commercial division of PT Lintas Artha, claimed that about 1,000 people have shown an interest in plugging into the system.

He said users are able to get the latest news and information not only from overseas, but also from inside the country as Idola cooperates with the Kompas daily as well as several government institutions, such as the Coordinating Board of the National Family Planning Board, the Office of the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Industry.

Idola operates in 11 cities throughout the country.

About 2,000 people have entered the information superhighway through Radnet, which was launched by PT Rahajasa recently. When the trial operation was over, around 600 people, including expatriates, and several corporations had signed up as fixed members, according to Eko Priyono, the company's managing director. Most of Radnet users are Indonesians who used to ply the information superhighway when they previously lived overseas.

Radnet has 90 telephone lines and is planning to install between 100 and 150 more lines to accommodate more user-access to the Internet.

PT Indo Internet, with only 50 telephone lines, provides the service to 2,600 users.

"Many of them use the Internet to communicate with their children who live aboard," the company's support official Chairul Rachman said.

Registration fees to get into Internet starts from Rp 50,000, while the lowest monthly membership fee is Rp 40,000 for 15 hours of connection time. For an additional hour, the charge is between Rp 2,000 and Rp 4,500 (US$2.00).

Corporates have to pay much more. Radnet, for instance, charges up to Rp 4 million for the registration/installation fee and Rp 5 million for unlimited use of the network.

Free

The online electronic network is also used by educational and governmental institutions, including the University of Indonesia in Jakarta, the Petra Christian University in Surabaya, and the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology. People can also read the electronic bulletin board of the United States Information Service, which provides the service for free.

The Data Center of the Trade Ministry, which is associated with the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology's network, Ipteknet, provides an online bulletin board service, especially for those interested in business and investment.

"If you are connected to our system, you can get access to the Internet. But our basic idea is not the Internet. We want to disseminate information on market opportunity, investment, technology and human resources in Indonesia," Putu Surya Wirawan, head of the Data Center, said.

There are about 2,500 users of the Data Center file, but not all of them have access to all of the information. Putu said that the full service is provided strictly to serious users. Some people have registered at the Data Center online service just for fun because everything is free.

"We are planning to charge the users so that we can support our operation by ourselves," Putu said.

The two key instruments to get access to the information superhighway, computers and telecommunication facilities, are widely available. Around five million new telephone lines will be installed throughout the country within four years. As for the computers, reports said that the shipment of personal computers to Indonesia reached 252,000 in 1994, a 51 percent increase from the previous year.

Information has become a basic need in human life. The Internet is still relatively new in Indonesia, but obviously it will soon become a trend among people. True, there are negative aspects of the Internet, which need to be anticipated, but there are great advantages to be gained from the network, if we can make use of it wisely.