Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Communication and Informatics Ministry (Kominfo) collaborates with the Indonesian Military's (TNI's) Association of Military Officers' Wives (Dharma Pertiwi) in the efforts to strengthen digital literacy of the association's members.

"The collaboration we have is not only in terms of increasing digital understanding for TNI's family members but also opens up opportunities for them to become national digital literacy activists," Minister of Communication and Informatics Budi Arie Setiadi remarked here on Thursday.

Setiadi emphasized the importance of digital literacy in all elements of society, including women and the younger generation. He explained that digitalization brings both opportunities and challenges due to the rapid dissemination of information.

Digitalization can result in the quick distribution of negative content, such as pornography, gambling, radicalism, terrorism, sensitive issues, and hoaxes, he pointed out.

Hence, to improve the public's digital literacy to fight those negative contents, Kominfo collaborates with various parties, including the TNI's family associations, such as Dharma Pertiwi.

The ministry has held the National Digital Literacy Movement (GNLD) since 2017.

In the GNLD program, the government involves 142 various partners to help build four pillars of digital literacy -- digital skills, digital culture, digital security, and digital ethics -- in the wider community.

As of October 2023, GNLD has provided digital literacy classes to 23 million participants, out of the total of 215 million internet users in Indonesia.

"Through this collaboration, the TNI family network can become the amplifier of national digital literacy efforts that can penetrate all corners of the country," Setiadi remarked.

Chairwoman of Dharma Pertiwi Vero Yudo Margono praised Kominfo's efforts and collaboration with the association to improve the members' digital literacy skills.

She said this collaboration targets 50 thousand members of Dharma Pertiwi.

"Being a mother and companion of their husbands, members of Dharma Pertiwi are required to be literate with digital technological developments and able to use social media wisely," she remarked.

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Translator: Fathur R, Kenzu
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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