of the UU ITE prohibits the distribution of content violating decency ( kesusilaan ). Unfortunately, this law has been weaponized. When a video goes viral, the police often arrest the mahasiswi for allegedly "distributing" the content—even if it was stolen from her private device.
One anonymous university student in Bandung told local media: "We are taught to cover our aurat (parts of the body that must be concealed) in the physical world. But now we have to cover our digital presence, too. We are terrified to save a picture of ourselves for our own eyes, let alone send it to a partner we trust. The threat of 'viral' is a weapon men hold over us." of the UU ITE prohibits the distribution of
Jakarta, Indonesia – In the endless scroll of Indonesian social media—from the bustling threads of X (formerly Twitter) to the fleeting stories on Instagram and the algorithm-driven floods of TikTok and Facebook—the phrase “Mahasiswi Viral Lagi Mesum” (Female University Student Goes Viral for Lewd Acts) appears with alarming regularity. One anonymous university student in Bandung told local
A progressive counter-movement has emerged, led by the BEM (Student Executive Boards) of major universities like UI (Universitas Indonesia) and UGM. These groups argue that expelling a victim of cyber-leaking is akin to punishing a sexual assault survivor for wearing a short skirt. They advocate for suspension of judgment until a proper investigation into the source of the leak is completed. Indonesian warganet (netizens) are some of the most engaged digital citizens in the world, ranking high on global indices for social media usage. But this engagement has a toxic underbelly. The threat of 'viral' is a weapon men hold over us
The solution is not to tell young women to "stop making videos"—that is impossible in the digital age. The solution is to stop punishing the victim of the leak and start prosecuting the perpetrator of the distribution.
At first glance, these trending topics are treated as digital entertainment: a salacious scandal to be consumed, mocked, and shared. Yet, beneath the surface of every "viral" clip or screenshot lies a complex collision of Indonesia’s evolving youth culture, the rigid morality of the masyarakat (society), the treacherous nature of digital privacy, and the devastating real-world consequences for a young woman’s future.