The data leak is a serious problem. It is not  a trivial but a very serious problem.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Bambang Soesatyo called on relevant agencies to investigate the alleged data breach that impacted 297 million people of Indonesia.

The alleged data breach involved the data of participants of health social security managed by the Worker Social Security Agency (BPJS Ketenagakerjaan). The Indonesian population data was sold on the hackers forum -- Raid Foum -- on May 12, 2021.

"The data leak is a serious problem. It is not a trivial but a very serious problem," Soesatyo noted in a written statement released here on Friday.

The agencies comprised the Communication and Informatics Ministry, the National Police's Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim), and the Directorate of Cyber Crimes and the State Cyber and Encryption Board (BSSN)

In the era of information technology, data is a national wealth that is worth maintaining, he affirmed.

Soesatyo noted that data sovereignty mirrored the state’s sovereignty. President Joko Widodo had also once described data as "new oil," deeming it more valuable than oil.

"In addition to vested economic interests, the data leak is related to security and privacy of the Indonesian citizens. The data leak shows that legal instruments to provide cybersecurity are not strong," he noted.

Apart from the incident, an uptick in cybercrimes has also occurred. Based on a report, the police had received 4,250 reports of cybercrimes as of November 2020.

"The number was pegged at 4,586 in 2019 and at 4,360 in 2018," he noted.

In addition to data breaches, cybercrimes included online fraud, provocative content, pornography, gambling access, extortion, electronic system hacking, and illegal interception, he pointed out.

Quoting data from the National Center for Cyber Security Operation (BSSN), the Golkar Party politician noted that Indonesia had recorded 423 million cyberattacks between January and November 2020.

Meanwhile, the figure was recorded at 290.3 million in 2019 and 232.4 million in 2018.

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Translator: Imam Budilaksono/Suharto
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2021