Google to tackle offensive contents on YouTube in Indonesia

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The US multinational technology company Google agreed to work with Indonesia to crack down on offensive and terror-related contents on YouTube, said Reuters citing a senior official of Google on Friday.

Indonesia, with a population of 260 million, has seen increasing amount of contents advocating religious intolerance and radicalism shared via Internet.

People attend the YouTube Fanfest in Jakarta, Indonesia, October 23, 2016. /Reuters Photo

The program, dubbed "Trusted Flagger", is planned to be implemented by Google in the next two to three months, said Ann Lavin, Google's director for public policy and government affairs in Southeast Asia and Greater China.

Users can flag questionable contents on Youtube via this program. If being flagged by group members, the content will get prior examination and be removed by Google.

Countries such as France, Germany, the UK and the US have already operated this program.

The government’s priority was to “protect” citizens from content that promotes radicalism, terrorism and drugs, said Rudiantara, Minister of Communication and Information.

Google will also work with Indonesia's non-governmental organizations to curb contents inciting violence or hate speech, said Lavin.

The Telegram logo. /Reuters Photo

Last month, Telegram, a messaging application, got warning from the government to block access to terror-related channels and accounts, otherwise it would be removed. The threat was lifted after the app made efforts.