Indonesia has banned the privacy-oriented search engine DuckDuckGo, citing concerns over access to pornography and online gambling websites, which are illegal in the country, the communications ministry announced on Friday.
Indonesia, home to the world’s largest Muslim population, enforces strict regulations against sharing obscene content online. The country has already blocked platforms like Reddit and Vimeo.
Usman Kansong, a communications ministry official, told Reuters that DuckDuckGo was banned due to numerous complaints about rampant online gambling and pornography in its search results. Despite requests for comment, Pennsylvania-based DuckDuckGo, known for its strong privacy features, did not respond outside U.S. business hours.
The ministry did not specify how DuckDuckGo differs from other search engines like Google. However, DuckDuckGo’s website highlights its commitment to protecting online privacy, a feature praised by privacy advocates.
In recent months, Indonesia has intensified efforts to combat online gambling, banning access to several websites. Government data revealed that despite the ban, 3 million Indonesians engaged in online gambling last year, spending an estimated $20 billion, or about 1.5% of the gross domestic product.