The government of Indonesia has shut down thousands of websites containing content related to extremism and terrorism.

Illustrative image. (Photo: The Hashtag Collective)

The move came after the country was hit by a series of suicide bombings and terrorist attacks over the last two weeks that claimed more than 32 lives in East Java and Riau provinces.

Almost 3,000 websites have been blocked and about 9,500 others are being inspected, said Indonesian Communication and Information Minister Rudi Antara in Yogyakarta province on 21 May.

Blocking the sites aims to encourage people to protest acts of radicalism, extremism and terrorism as there is a lot of radical and terrorist content circulated on social media such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Facebook said it has taken down nearly 2 million posts containing Islamic State, al-Qaeda and related terrorism propaganda in the first quarter of this year. Meanwhile, Twitter has blocked more than 1 million accounts for promotion of terrorism since 2015.

On 13 March, a series of bombings hit three Christian churches in Surabaya, East Java province, killing 14 and injuring dozens of others. Indonesian police said that the bombings were conducted by a family of six, including four children aged 9 to 18.

Just a day later, another blast took place at the police headquarters in Surabaya city in the morning, which killed four people and injured at least 16 others. A family of five, including an 8-year-old girl, was the perpetrators of the attack, the police declared.

The self-styled Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Indonesia raised its security alert status to the highest level at major cities and regions in Indonesia, including Jakarta capital, Riau islands, East Java and Bali island, after the attacks on 13 May.

(Source: VNA)