The 2008 Electronic Information and Transaction (ITE) Law is important to develop a civilized generation in the future, a government staffer has said.

Henri Subiakto, an advisor to Communications and Information Minister Rudiantara, said the law could prevent the massive spread of online defamation, particularly through Article 27.

The article states people could be criminalized if they deliberately distribute, transmit or create accessible electronic information or documents containing slanderous and defamatory language. Many have said the law violates free speech.

"The regulation is addressed to our children and grandchildren […] because they are the ones who will spend the most time online," Henri said in Jakarta on Tuesday.

With the law, people could also learn the difference between opinions and accusations, he said. Hence, people will not express something carelessly through social media, he added.

However, Alliance of Independence Journalists (AJI) secretary-general Arfi Bambani, who also wanted the defamation article dropped, has proposed an internet regulatory body that would have standards of appropriate content and manage complaints from users.

Source:
courtesy of THE JAKARTA POST

by The Jakarta Post

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