JAKARTA, 27 March 2008 - The Indonesian government has passed a law banning the viewing or production of "immoral content" on the internet. The new law is one of the most strict in the world and will come into force on 29 March. Anyone found guilty of breaking the law faces six years in prison and a fine equivalent to $109,000.

"I think we all agree there's no way we can save this nation by spreading pornography, violence and ethnic hostility," said Indonesia's Information Minister, Mohammad Nuh. The Electronic Information and Transactions Law was passed with support from all major parties. It was partially inspired by the decision to have free internet access for all Indonesian schools.

The blocking software is available as a free download from the Information Ministry website and needs to be downloaded onto individual PCs. In the future the government wants to build a system that would block the content at an ISP level. Indonesia is 85 per cent Muslim and already has strict laws regarding offensive content.

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