T

he Indonesian Military (TNI) has warned its personnel against using social media, as it says doing so may compromise national security.

On Friday, the Indonesian Air Force issued a letter reminding personnel active on social media of the dangers of using such platforms.

The order stipulates that Air Force personnel are not allowed to post comments on social media that contradict government and military policy.

The letter also bans personnel from posting information about their activities and says personnel are forbidden from commenting on social, political, economic and cultural issues, as well as military affairs, on any social media platforms.

Officials from the Air Force, however, declined to give details on the reasons behind the order.

'€œThis letter is a concrete step to follow up on a previous letter issued by Indonesian Military chief Gen. Moeldoko on how military personnel should use social media,'€ Air Force spokesperson Commodore Hadi Tjahjanto told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

Hadi was quick to add that the letter was not an outright ban on TNI personnel using social media.

'€œThis is actually not a ban, but they [military personnel] should know better what is proper to say and what is not,'€ Hadi said.

TNI spokesperson Maj. Gen. Fuad Basya said that guidelines for TNI personnel on using social media were normal, as many countries were now engaged in cyber-related conflicts.

He said the rule could be a preventive measure to anticipate the leaking of state and military secrets.

'€œThe punishment for revealing state secrets is very harsh. For me, death is not enough,'€ Fuad said, adding that not many experienced soldiers could use social media wisely.

He complemented the Air Force for issuing the order and said the Army and Navy had to follow suit.

Army spokesperson Brig. Gen Wuryanto acknowledged that Army personnel had also been warned about their social media habits.

'€œThe Army allows its personnel to use social media, but only if they can do so responsibly. They know what to do with social media,'€ he said.

The letter was issued after a number of social media misadventures involving military personnel emerged.

In one case, First Lt. Zulfikar Rakita Dewa was reported to the Military Police after allegedly deceiving a woman who he met via Path, a social media outlet.

Zulfikar is the son of West Java Deputy Governor Deddy Mizwar.

The woman, who identified herself as Riana Rara Kalsum, claimed Zulfikar had used Path to seduce her, including by offering her a trip to Europe. Zulfikar and Riana did travel to Europe but the woman later claimed she had been abandoned by the TNI member.

Riana then publicly claimed she was pregnant as a result of her affair with Zulfikar.

With the case on local TV gossip shows, the Army was forced to clarify any possible wrongdoings committed by Zulfikar.

The case remains under the investigation of the Military Police.

Social media is also popular among the military'€™s top brass.

Moeldoko, for instance, has his own Twitter account, @Generalmoeldoko, from which he updates his 66,000 followers on military affairs.

Recently, the social media scene was abuzz with a tweet many attributed to Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu.

Recently, the Twitter handle @Ryamizard_R gave details on the TNI'€™s capability to survive an attack in the event of warfare.

The Defense Ministry later clarified that Ryamizard had never had a social media account and that the account was likely bogus.

'€œWe'€™re trying to close this account as it doesn'€™t belong to minister Ryamizard,'€ one official from the ministry told the Post.

The account was suspended on Friday.