Jakarta – The National Police say they are going to work with the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology to block Indonesia-based websites facilitating prostitution."We will come up with a list of websites... and hand it over to the ministry, which will then block the sites," National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Anton Charliyan told state-owned news agency Antara on Monday.
Police say blocking websites where sexual services are offered can be a challenging task. "It will be difficult, since a website might appear under a new guise even after we've blocked it," Anton said.
Authorities have launched a crackdown on online prostitution after a young woman was found dead in her rented room in Tebet, South Jakarta, on April 11, sparking a social media frenzy.
The victim was found with a wire around her neck and a sock in her mouth. Police declined to elaborate on the victim's profession, but her Twitter account indicated she was likely working in the sex industry.
The government has recently been trying to start blocking websites spreading radical Islamic ideology, leading to protests from both Islamic organizations and rights activists.