After years of deliberation and preparation, Indonesia has set up a cyber agency to protect it from cyberattacks, but questions linger over its authority, after its head said the agency would also tackle fake news to ensure the integrity of elections in 2018 and 2019.

On Wednesday, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo installed Djoko Setiadi, the former chairman of the National Encryption Agency (Lemsaneg), as the first chairman of the National Cyber and Encryption Agency (BSSN).

“This is a very important agency, which the state needs, especially to anticipate rapid development in cyberspace,” the President said during the inauguration ceremony at the Presidential Palace.

Soon after his inauguration, Djoko told reporters that, in addition to tackling cybercrime and terrorism, his agency would also address the problem of social media hoaxes, particularly in light of this year’s regional elections and the 2019 presidential and legislative elections.

He said his agency would ensure the elections run smoothly in a healthy environment to produce the best leaders by cooperating with other institutions, including the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) and the National Police, in dealing with people who spread fake news.

“Of course, [the issue of] fake news or hoaxes is one of our main concerns, as it can be troublesome. If a hoax is constructive, I think it is okay,” Djoko said.

That statement sparked concern about the agency’s potential overreach and prompted mockery from social media users, who are confused about the notion of a “constructive hoax.”

According to the presidential regulation, the BSSN is authorized to deliberate and execute regulations on cybersecurity, coordinate the relevant stakeholders and engage in regional, national and international cooperation on the matter. The regulation does not explicitly mention fake news or hate speech.

Amnesty International Indonesia executive director Usman Hamid said the BSSN could become the government’s propaganda tool if its authority was not limited. “They should be dealing with strategic issues rather than just follow the trend [of eradicating fake news],” he told The Jakarta Post.

Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) researcher Arya Fernandes, meanwhile, said the BSSN’s authority to tackle fake news could be problematic if individuals implicated with spreading hoaxes were connected to electoral candidates.

It does not help that Djoko said he would allow “constructive hoaxes,” a bizarre term that set off Twitter hashtag #HoaxMembangun (Constructive Hoax). By Wednesday evening, the hashtag had become a trending topic in Indonesia with almost 8,700 tweets.

Some assume a constructive hoax may be something akin to a white lie, or a fabricated statement aimed to encourage others.

Twitter users were quick to come up with satirical tweets in response to Djoko’s statement.

Ardi Sutedja, the chairman of the Indonesian Cyber Security Forum, who had been involved in the deliberation of the agency with the coordinating political, legal and security affairs minister in 2014, said fake news and hate speech had been included in BSSN’s authority a long time ago.

“It might have been included using different words [in the presidential regulation],” Ardi said.

Since the 2014 election, President Jokowi has become a victim of hoaxes on social media multiple times, and following highly controversial gubernatorial election campaigns in Jakarta last year, when sectarian hoaxes proliferated, the President vowed to combat fake news, which he said could divide the country.

Djoko’s appointment comes months after Jokowi issued a presidential regulation establishing the agency and detailing its functions and authorities in May. The BSSN, which was initially under the auspices of the coordinating political, legal and security affairs minister, was supposed to be operational in October last year. However, the Presidential Palace only revealed the name of its head on Wednesday, a few weeks after Jokowi revised the regulation on Dec. 16 to elevate its status to become an institution that is equal to a ministry and is required to report directly to him.

According to Communications and Information Ministry data, Indonesia recorded around 36.5 million cyberattacks from January to November last year. Attacks took place in various form, including malware on websites, website manipulation and data leaking.

One of the worst recent cyberattacks in Indonesia was detected in May last year, when the WannaCry virus infected the computer system of Dharmais Hospital in Jakarta — the nation’s largest cancer hospital — disrupting its service. (vla)

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