Internet in Indonesia is heavily censored.
This means that thousands of websites are unavailable when you are staying in the country. To be precise, as of today, there are over 1 million blocked URLs in Indonesia, including some very famous ones such as Reddit, Tumblr, as well as all Torrent, Gambling, or Porn websites.
They are blocked by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) operating in Indonesia, following orders from the Ministry of Communication and Information Technologies (Kementrian Komunikasi dan Informatika). The ban is part of the "Safe Internet" initiative whose idea is to protect Indonesian users from visiting websites that do not follow the "moral, ethics and spirit" of the nation.
Luckily, you don't have to worry about accessing your favorite site while visiting or living in Indonesia because the ban is very easy to circumvent.
In the following article, I will show you how to unblock any website in Indonesia in less than 5 minutes.
How to Unblock Any Website in Indonesia?
Using a VPN
If you want to be able to surf on any website in Indonesia, my recommendation is to use a VPN (Virtual Private Network). It is a small and discreet software that you install on your phone and your computer, and that you can just turn on anytime you visit sensitive websites (or you can always leave it on).
All you need to do is to choose one, create an account, then download the software. Below, I will give you some recommendation for VPNs if you don't know which one to choose.
The main benefit of a VPN (compared with a Proxy, an alternative to unblocking sites) is that you are guaranteed total anonymity. Your internet provider, the government, your boss, your landlord, or anybody who can have access to your connection information will have no way of knowing which websites you've visited. If you've gambled, if you've watched porn, or if you've downloaded pirated movies, your secret is safe.
Free VPNs exist but they always have limited bandwidth. It means that if you want to watch a movie, it will load very slowly, even if you have a high-speed connection. Considering VPNs are very useful for people who like streaming movies, it can be an annoying issue that, to be honest, is not worth the money saved.
The main benefit of a VPN (compared with a Proxy, an alternative to unblocking sites) is that you are guaranteed total anonymity. Your internet provider, the government, your boss, your landlord, or anybody who can have access to your connection information will have no way of knowing which websites you've visited. If you've gambled, if you've watched porn, or if you've downloaded pirated movies, your secret is safe.
Free VPNs exist but they always have limited bandwidth. It means that if you want to watch a movie, it will load very slowly, even if you have a high-speed connection. Considering VPNs are very useful for people who like streaming movies, it can be an annoying issue that, to be honest, is not worth the money saved.
Instead, I recommend choosing a paying VPN knowing you can get a great one for just 2-3 dollars per month. It is definitely a great investment considering everything the VPN will help you with (protecting your privacy, changing your Netflix location, etc).
I've used several VPN brands in the past 2 years. Most offer a free trial for 1 month so I like to change once in a while.
The one I currently use is PureVPN. I started using them after they gave away a 7-day trial for 99 cents and I was happy enough to subscribe with them for a 2 year plan. What I liked was that the VPN takes only a second to connect, and that so far, Netflix can't detect it (this means I can watch lots of films and series that are not available in Indonesia). I also use it to watch some French channels, for instance if there is a football game. In terms of speed, my observation is that you should connect to a server which is as near as possible from where you live. When I'm in Indonesia, I therefore tend to choose one in Singapore or Australia instead of the US or the UK.
I've used several VPN brands in the past 2 years. Most offer a free trial for 1 month so I like to change once in a while.
The one I currently use is PureVPN. I started using them after they gave away a 7-day trial for 99 cents and I was happy enough to subscribe with them for a 2 year plan. What I liked was that the VPN takes only a second to connect, and that so far, Netflix can't detect it (this means I can watch lots of films and series that are not available in Indonesia). I also use it to watch some French channels, for instance if there is a football game. In terms of speed, my observation is that you should connect to a server which is as near as possible from where you live. When I'm in Indonesia, I therefore tend to choose one in Singapore or Australia instead of the US or the UK.
I never turn the VPN off, it's always in the background of my phone or laptop and I don't even notice it anymore.
Another VPN that was working well for me was VyprVPN. I used it for 1 year before and it served me well when I was in China. The government there has made VPN illegal but VyprVPN managed to bypass the censorship. The reason I changed to PureVPN was that it was a bit more expensive at US9,95/month or US3.75/month if you choose a 12-month plan. Note that they offer you a 30-day free trial.
I tried other VPNs as well but it was more than 2 years ago so I prefer not mentioning them here. If you have one to recommend, please leave a comment below.
I tried other VPNs as well but it was more than 2 years ago so I prefer not mentioning them here. If you have one to recommend, please leave a comment below.
You can also read my article Best VPNs for Indonesia for more detailed information.
Blocked Websites in Indonesia
Websites with Pornography:
866,633 "porn" sites are blocked by the Indonesian government as of today. That's a huge number and it also includes sites with only mild nudity, erotic literature, and sex-ed. The most famous ones such as XVideos, YouPorn, Porn Hub, or XHamster are all forbidden.
Manga Websites
The reason for blocking these is probably because some mangas contain some sexy drawings. It might be deemed improper for younger Indonesians and teenagers. probably to protect younger people and teenagers). Some examples:
- Mangafox (Actually not a porn site but some albums might be considered erotic)
- KissManga (Most mangas are normal but it has an adult section)
Torrent, Sharing, P2P, Download Sites
Indonesia blocks these websites, not only because they offer pirated movies, but more specifically because they have porn.
Video Streaming Site:
This is more on a case by case basis. Vimeo for instance was banner for several years but it seems to be permitted again.
LGBT-friendly content or apps
No surprise here as the Indonesian government has proven to be quite hostile towards the gay, lesbian, bi and trans community. If you want to use Grindr for instance, you'll need a VPN.
Drug-related and "Digital drugs" Websites
Some websites promoting the use of drugs, as well as those selling some items like waterpipes or "i-dosers" are blocked in Indonesia.
Radicalism, Hate Speech and Fake News Websites (Hoax)
There are almost 300 websites blocked in this category. Many are websites promoting Wahhabism, the Islamic state or conspiracy theories. There was a controversy as many of those sites were censored a few months before the 2017 Gubernatorial election. Some suspected that anti-Ahok sites were the main target.
Fraudulent Investment and E-Commerce Websites
976 websites are blocked for fraud. Mostly, they feature fake products, investment scams, pyramid schemes, Ponzi schemes, etc.
The closure is sometimes followed by a police investigation and arrests. This was the case with the Dream for Freedom website (D4F, taken down since) and the fake Djakarta Warehouse Project website that I mentioned on my DWP review (also shut down since).
Gambling, Lottery and Betting Sites
After porn, these represent the largest number of banned sites (4,120). Casinos are strictly illegal in Indonesia, yet many of its citizens love gambling. It isn't surprising that to avoid being fined, they've quickly switched to the online world.