SAFEnet Defense Regarding Tara Basro's Nude Post that Received a Warning from KOMINFO

Kapanlagi.com - On Tuesday evening (3/3), Tara Basro caused a stir in the online world with her posts on social media. The star of the movie PEREMPUAN TANAH JAHANAM uploaded a nude photo. However, it should be emphasized that at that time Tara did not show her breasts and genitals.

The main point of Tara's post was to convey a positive message to everyone to always love themselves. In the photo, this 29-year-old woman clearly has some stretch marks and a folded stomach.

Unfortunately, Tara's post was deemed to violate Article 27 Paragraph 1 of the ITE Law by the Ministry of Communication and Informatics (KOMINFO) with allegations of spreading obscene content. Not wanting the issue to prolong, Tara deleted the problematic post.

"Netizens responded to Tara's post positively, seeing it as an expression of self-love and not as pornography. But this is how KOMINFO reacted," said Ellen Kusuma, Head of the DARK (Digital At-Risks) Sub-Division at SAFEnet, which focuses on online gender-based violence issues, in a press release.

1. Ellen's Strong Criticism of Kominfo

Tara Basro © KapanLagi/Budy Santoso

It should be noted that netizens consider Kominfo's accusations excessive. Similar sentiments were expressed by SAFEnet (Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network), who viewed the labeling of pornography on Tara's post as a negligent and context-blind action towards Tara's intended expression.

"This is very dangerous. If a woman sees her body as not conforming to societal beauty standards, she may lose confidence or become a victim of bullying. With insensitive statements like that, coming from a state institution no less, it not only suppresses women's voices but also perpetuates the notion that the female body is merely an object. Especially a sexual object. It is important to consider the context, not just the image," she continued.

2. Referring to Article 27 Paragraph 1 of the ITE Law as a Rubber Article

Furthermore, Ellen also emphasized that Article 27 Paragraph 1 of the ITE Law is a flexible article and tends to have a gender bias. She also gave another example of a case that further reinforces the questioning of the regulations written in that article.

"Previously, Article 27 Paragraph 1 of the ITE Law was also used to suppress Youtuber Kimi Hime because her content was considered vulgar, to the point where Kimi Hime had to delete her content. It is always women's bodies that are regulated or women who are disproportionately affected when it comes to issues of morality or pornography," explained Ellen.

3. Reposted by Tara Basro

© Instagram/tarabasro

The support from SAFEnet also received attention from Tara. Through her Instagram account, the winner of the 2015 Citra Cup for the 'Best Actress' category uploaded a release from SAFEnet while quoting all the written articles in it.

This means that Tara also shares the same opinion about Article 27 Paragraph 1 of the ITE Law with Ellen, although she does not express it directly. What is KLovers' opinion about this controversy? Write your comments!

(kpl/gtr)