Indonesian ministry's website hacked over online porn law

Mar 28, 2008, 9:46 GMT

Jakarta - Hackers have defaced the website of Indonesia's information ministry in response to a government move to restrict access to pornographic material on the internet, officials and local media reports said Friday.

Indonesia's parliament on Tuesday passed a new information bill that criminalises the transmission of pornographic material on the web.

But on Thursday, hackers posted a message on the information ministry's website, saying: 'Prove that the law has not been made to cover government stupidity.'

Later, the website could not be accessed, and would-be viewers were met only with the message, 'Access has been denied.'

The Information and Communication Ministry said the law was a response to concerns in society about the negative impact of pornographic and violent sites as more Indonesians gain access to the internet.

Under the law, anyone found guilty of transmitting pornographic material, false news or racial and religious hate messages on the internet could face up to six years in prison or a fine of 1 billion rupiah (108,500 dollars).

The ministry, which planned to begin blocking all adult sites starting April 1, has offered the public software to block websites with adult content. The software is available for download at the ministry's website.

Roy Suryo, a telecommunication and cyber expert who played a key role in drafting the law, said the attack on the ministry's website was revenge from a porn-lover site.

'I predicted such a move from people opposing the law and the government's move to block the websites with adult content,' Suryo was quoted as saying by the Jakarta Post. 'That's why we need public participation to make the action a success.'

He warned the attack may be only the first in a series of actions against government websites, including the official sites of the president and the vice president.