Police Arrest Social Media Live Stream Host for Pornographic Content
Jakarta Regional Police have arrested a live stream host identified as SR (39) in connection with the dissemination of pornographic content on social media. Police Commissioner Imanuel Sinaga, head of Subunit 2 in the Cyber Crime Unit of Jakarta Regional Police, stated that the suspect profited from viewer ‘saweran’ (gifts) through vulgar challenges performed with female talents.
Imanuel explained that the case came to light during a cyber patrol, where his team discovered a social media account under the initials K broadcasting pornographic content during live streams. “We found negative pornographic content on the social media account, leading us to conduct investigations, deeper inquiries, and tracking of the account,” he said at a press conference on Tuesday (26 May).
He stated that through an account with approximately 387,000 followers, the suspect invited women referred to as talents to participate in challenges. Viewers were then asked to send ‘saweran’ (gifts) or tap the screen as a form of support. “When viewers send gifts or tap the screen, there are rewards or punishments,” he explained.
Imanuel said the challenges resulted in punishments that led to inappropriate scenes. One example was the ‘star jump’ punishment, which involved vulgar movements during the live stream. “For instance, the star jump challenge, where during the live stream, the jumping motion would result in negative scenes,” he added.
Based on these findings, investigators traced the account owner and arrested SR, along with evidence including an Oppo Reno 11 F 5G smartphone, social media accounts, and an email account used to receive platform gifts. SR confessed to the investigators that he conducted live streams to entertain viewers and receive gifts. The practice is suspected to have been ongoing for about two to three years. “Based on our investigation, he has been involved in such activities for around three years, or two years,” he said.
Imanuel added that his team is currently investigating possible involvement of other suspects, including the talents featured in the live streams. One talent is suspected to be underage. “Based on our profiling, the talent is underage,” he said. He noted that investigators are being cautious in determining the talents’ identities, as hosts and participants often use face filters during live streams. “Typically, during live streams, talents and hosts use effects, making it difficult to specifically identify individuals,” he concluded.
SR faces charges under Article 407(1) of Law No. 1 of 2023 on the Criminal Code (KUHP) for disseminating pornography, with a potential prison sentence of six months to 10 years.