By Stewart Tongue

YNOT EUROPE – The Indonesian Communication and Information Ministry has announced plans to collaborate with Google and its video distribution service YouTube to block websites and content the ministry deems pornographic.

According to The Jakarta Post, the Indonesian government will provide specific keywords to be blocked from searches on both Google.com and YouTube.com in order to prevent Indonesians from viewing online pornography, as dictated by Islamic law. Azhar Hasyim, business director for the ministry’s directorate general for applications and information, said Google’s participation is expected, though speculation exists the remarks were intended to pressure Google into cooperating. The search giant has not made any official announcements.

Google has a strong history of protecting user privacy and promoting net neutrality, even to the point of exiting China entirely rather than submitting to censorship by the conservative Chinese government.

The Jakarta Post noted that each of 12 Indonesian internet service providers have reported as many as 2.5 million attempts per month to access adult entertainment websites, indicating a robust audience of as many as 30 million potential porn consumers. The communication ministry claims it received “about 100 million” public complaints regarding internet pornography. Either the numbers are inaccurate or a strong cultural divide exists in the country, putting Google and YouTube in the middle of an increasingly intense national debate.