As part of a wide-ranging campaign to combat illicit gambling in Indonesia, 132 online websites were dismantled in the operations of the Indonesian National Police’s Cyber Crime Investigation Agency, which is dedicated to investigating cyber-fraud and digital crimes such as online gambling. Investigators have also frozen financial transactions of 25,575 million guilders (approximately $15.2 million) suspected of being linked to illegal activities. Indonesian officials indicated that the campaign was based on a series of investigative reports submitted by the Indonesian Financial Transactions Reporting and Analysis Centre (PPATK, the main anti-money laundering agency in Indonesia).
The police indicated that PPATK used an automated financial monitoring system to identify suspicious transfers. The system works with banks to mark transactions related to known websites or networks. The authorities indicated that the technology played a key role in identifying transactions related to illegal platforms. However, the monitoring system has been criticized before. Some analysts and civil society groups believe that automatic detection tools sometimes freeze unrelated personal accounts. Himawan Bayu Aji, head of the Indonesian Cyber Crime Investigation Agency, stated that investigators had traced 5961 suspicious bank accounts related to the criminal network. The authorities believe that there are other fish leaks that are still under investigation. The police indicated that 11 independent criminal investigations were under way as part of a larger investigation. Of the frozen funds, 14,2.1 billion guilders (approximately $8.4 million) may be confiscated.
The court will ultimately determine whether the funds are illegally acquired. If confirmed, they will be confiscated and handed over to the State Treasury. The police claimed that the operation was aimed at weakening the infrastructure of the illegal network. Himawan Bayu Aji explains: “The channel of payment is a way of operating illegal activities, and disruption of financial flows can significantly weaken the network behind such platforms”. Indonesia had also recently strengthened its control over online activities and planned to restrict access to social media for children under 16. The Indonesian Minister of Communications and Digital Affairs, Meutya Hafid, stated that the new regulations would prevent minors from opening accounts on “high-risk” digital platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live and Roblox.
“The reasons are clear. The children face an ever-increasing real threat,” he stresses. These threats include pornography, cyber bullying, cyber fraud and Internet addiction. Despite the opposition of the Science and Technology Corporation to the new regulations, the Government of Indonesia strongly stated that these measures were essential to protect users and combat illegal networks.
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