Grindr to be Banned as Indonesia Considers Criminalisation of Homosexuality
The Indonesian LGBTI community could see gay dating apps such as Grindr blocked from use as the nation’s government considers an outright ban on immoral homosexual activity. Following the crackdown on a “gay prostitution ring,” Indonesian Police have issued a statement calling on the government to ban approximately 18 pro-LGBTI apps from use within the southeast Asian country. “We have requested the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology to follow up on the findings,’ explains Himawan Bayu Aji of the National Police cyber-crime unit. Claiming to have uncovered and broken up the homosexual prostitution ring with “148 victims,” including 27 teenaged boys aged between 13 and 17, the Indonesian police force believes that inhibiting the LGBTI community from accessing the pro-LGBTI apps will help inhibit a similar prostitution ring from forming again. According to Jakarta Globe, Indonesian police utilised Facebook to communicate with, and set up dates with the suspected pro