Indonesia blocks Tumblr for hosting porn content
Indonesia on Monday began blocking Tumblr over failure for the microblogging service to remove pornographic content from its site, AFP first reported. The move follows Tumblr not responding to a late-February letter from the Indonesia ministry demanding pornographic content be removed within 48 hours.
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"After investigating, we found at least 360 Tumblr accounts contained pornographic content," ministry spokesman Noor Iza told AFP. Once it complies with the government's orders, officials said Verizon's Oath-owned Tumblr will be accessible in the country again.
In 2016, Indonesian government officials briefly blocked Tumblr because of the pages containing porn. Indonesia softened its stance at the time and allowed Tumblr to "self censor" its porn content.
This practice is not new for Indonesia. In recent years, it has increased control over offensive online content, particularly related to porn and Islamic slander. The government regulates anything it deems inappropriate through legal and regulatory frameworks and through partnerships with ISPs and Internet cafés.
In the past, Indonesia has also blocked Vimeo, YouTube, and other prominent web services.
We have reached out to Tumblr, and will update you if we learn more.
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