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New cyber security agency: How will it operate?
Based on the Perpres, the BSSN is a civilian and collaboration-oriented institution in nature.
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Network cables are seen going into a server in an office building in Washington, DC, on May 13, 2017. (AFP Photo/Andrew Caballero-Reynolds)
P
resident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo signed on May 19 Presidential Regulation (Perpres) No. 53/2017 on the establishment of the Cyber Body and National Encryption Agency (BSSN).
This development is significant for three key reasons. First, it showcases the President’s commitment to nurturing a “digital economy” and safeguarding national interests in cyberspace.
According to estimates from the Indonesian E-Commerce Association, the total market value of the country’s e-commerce has grown 200 percent from around US$8 billion in 2013 to more than $20 billion in 2016.
With the internet and smartphone penetration rapidly increasing, the country’s online retail industry is expected to account for at least 5 percent of Indonesia’s economy by 2020.
Second, the establishment of BSSN comes after a number of high-profile incidents in cyberspace.
These include the website defacement of the largest telcom provider in Indonesia, the suspected hacking of a state-owned bank’s online application, and the worldwide “WannaCry” ransomware attacks.
Moreover, based on annual reports from the Indonesia-Security Incident Response Team on Internet Infrastructure, attacks against websites surged from 12,088 incidents in 2014 to 13,995 incidents in 2015.
