Malang, East Java (ANTARA) - Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs, Meutya Hafid, has expressed her commitment to continue increasing people's digital literacy to maximize the government’s efforts to root out illegal online gambling.
“We are stepping up our efforts to boost digital literacy because eradicating online gambling is not enough with just a technological approach,” Hafid said after visiting the Ibnu Sina Islamic Junior High School here on Saturday.
Through the bolstering of digital literacy, the public will be in a better position to understand the negative impacts and losses that come with online gambling, such as getting caught up in legal troubles, she added.
She pointed out that online gambling activities violate Article 27, paragraph (2) of Law Number 1 of 2024 amending Law Number 11 of 2008 concerning Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE).
“The rules strictly forbid it (online gambling) and there are even sanctions. So far, many people have voluntarily helped us by carrying out activities in their own community to fight online gambling,” she said.
The ministry is also ready to ramp up collaborative efforts with all local governments, at the district, city, and provincial levels, as well as with the community, to maximize the improvement of people’s digital literacy.
“We are also collaborating with Information and Communication Technology (ICT) volunteers. So far, there have been eight thousand registered volunteers," she said.
“The ministry is also collaborating with non-governmental organizations (NGOs),” she added.
Besides tackling online gambling, the ministry will use these collaborative efforts to create child-friendly internet.
“We definitely need to work with NGOs that focus on children to realize internet-friendly children, because it's impossible for the government to do it alone,” Hafid said.
