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.