Indonesia’s ICT minister in talks with Vimeo about restoring the nation’s access

Indonesia’s information and communications technology minister Rudiantara.

“We are now in the process of discussion with Vimeo about how not to allow Indonesians access to the pornographic content,” says Indonesia’s new information and communications technology minister Rudiantara, commenting on how he is working to bring Vimeo back into the country.

The minister came into Startup Asia Jakarta 2014 for a short chat on stage with Enricko Lukman today, despite being summoned by Indonesia’s president Joko Widodo for an impromptu meeting. Rudiantara’s statements about making sites like Vimeo accessible again to Indonesia involved taking what he calls the “multi-stakeholders approach,” in which the concerned parties and Indonesia’s other ministers all weigh in on the decision-making alongside him.

The minister claims that he is currently creating a definitive framework for what the government can and should censor on the web in Indonesia. He says this framework will let people better understand what content they are allowed to craft, curate, and expose online in the country. Sites currently blocked in the archipelago include Vimeo, Reddit and Imgur.

See: Indonesia’s internet law limits freedom of speech

In some cases, Indonesian citizens have ended up in jail for saying certain things online. A specific clause in the UU ITE (regulation about electronic information and transaction) lets anybody charge anyone else in a court of law for making them “feel offended.”

Rudiantara says he is thinking about addressing the problem in one of three ways: reducing the sentences served for those convicted, appointing specialized law enforcers that understand the validity of these cases, or educating Indonesia’s current law enforcement on how best to evaluate such cases.

Regarding tech startups in Indonesia, Rudiantara said, “I have no background at all in this kind of business, but I want to learn. I want to know what variables will make this industry a success in the future.” The minister added that the Indonesian government will need to spend US$24 billion on local IT infrastructure to create a more conducive environment for tech startups.

This is part of the coverage of Startup Asia Jakarta 2014, our event running on November 26 and 27. Check out all the Startup Arena pitches here. You can follow along on Twitter at @techinasia and on our Facebook page.