The government has faced multiple data leaks that range from confidential documents from our intelligence service to personal information. For some, including myself, looking at the many problems faced by our country’s data governance is laughable, and it has inspired a plethora of memes.

But laughter can quickly turn to anxiety when you learn that you are in fact, part of the joke. Last Friday, fresh from six weeks of overseas travel, I was shocked to learn that my National Identification Number (NIK) was used to support independent candidate Dharma Pongrekun, a person who I didn't even know was trying to run for the Jakarta governorship.

The Jakarta General Elections Commission (KPU) declared Dharma and his running mate Kun Wardana eligible to run as independents on Thursday after verifying that the pair had received the support of 677,468 voters. However, dozens of registered voters, like me, have discovered the fraudulent use of their identity after checking the list of Dharma-Kun supporters on the KPU website.

With my personal experience and the surrounding allegations of the misuse of personal data, this not only paints a dangerous portrait of data protection but also how little remains of the integrity within our political system, which was already at a low bar to begin with.

Indonesia recently celebrated 79 years of its independence and I have to say that as an Indonesian I feel disappointed. We are a country of about 280 million people, and the fact that my endorsement was unceremoniously siphoned without my knowledge or consent cements the idea that when election season comes, we are all just numbers in a larger political chess game.

I don’t mind political chess games and we must give credit to the government where credit is due, including in accelerating the digital transformation, strengthening our healthcare system and ushering a growth economy. The current situation, however, is more than just a political issue; it is a moral one.