"Digital era development has given way to the emergence of new types of threats to national sovereignty," said Mahfud MD, who is also Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, here on Tuesday.
Therefore, the national defense forces need to be aware of in carrying out their duties, particularly in maintaining state security, in order to keep the state's sovereignty, maintain Indonesia's territorial integrity, and protect the whole nation," he said.
He delivered the statement during an event entitled "Governmental Digital Literacy for National Defense Forces" at the military headquarters in Cilangkap.
Currently, there are many threats in cyberspace that could compromise national sovereignty, which include DDoS (distributed denial-of-service), data theft, and system sabotage, he said while delivering his speech.
Several platforms on cyberspace can be abused to spread propaganda, Mahfud noted.
Other threats include cyberterrorists who use digital technology to attack others and recruit new members, as well as state-sponsored cyberattacks, which are encouraged by states or groups for the purposes of espionage, he added.
Hence, military personnel must have good digital literacy to protect cyberspace from the plethora of threats, the minister stressed.
Digital literacy will allow personnel and their families to be more careful in processing information and filtering it using a logical approach, Mahfud pointed out.
"Particularly (information) on general elections, which is shared in the public space, whether it is in national mass media or in cyberspace," he said.
The minister urged military personnel to uphold neutrality to ensure that the general election proceedings go according to plan, while ensuring voter safety.
Chief of the National Defense Forces Admiral Yudo Margono commended the provision of digital literacy education for personnel.
He opined that issues concerning cyberspace have grown more apparent and could have a great impact on the nation.
Margono said that currently, there are many negative and violent contents in cyberspace, such as hoaxes, online gambling, cyberbullying, hate speech, and fraud.
He highlighted the need for military personnel to become actively involved in fighting against negative content by sharing positive content, which will improve the national bond.
"To be able to contribute more, we obviously have to have digital literacy in order to create more educative and calming creative contents," he added.
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Translator: Fathur Rochman, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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