Waiting For The Seriousness Of The Ministry Of Communication And Digital Affairs To Handle Cyber Security Issues

Protection of personal data is still one of the serious problems at the Ministry of Communication and Digital. (Ist)

The Ministry of Communication and Information has officially changed its name to the Ministry of Communication and Digital. Personal data security, eradication of online gambling, child-friendly internet, and digitizing government services are the main focus of Meutya Hafid in her first 100 days of program.

After being announced as a minister, this Golkar Party politician said that the change in the nomenclature of the Ministry of Communication and Informatics to become the Ministry of Communication and Industry was carried out to answer the challenges of the times that are increasingly growing into the digital realm.

"This means that in the future, communication will also be digital-based and we also know yesterday that our homework was how to secure our data, which is also related to digital and efficient government that can also be done by also implementing digital," said Meutya at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Sunday (20/10).

Meutya serves as Minister of Communication and Digi replacing her predecessor, Budi Arie Setiadi, who now serves as Minister of Cooperatives. Meutya's presence brings new hope in facing various challenges of communication and technology in Indonesia.

This former journalist is faced with a task that is not easy in managing digital transformation in the country. Starting from the repeated leakage of personal data, to online gambling sites that are increasingly mushrooming.

The public must still remember how Meutya Hafid clearly said that the temporary breakdown of the National Data Center or PDNS in Surabaya due to the cyber attack Ransomware was a stupidity. The statement was made in front of the Ministry of Communication and Information and the National Cyber and Crypto Agency (BSSN) as the PDN manager.

"This is a matter of ignorance. Have national data, there is not a single backup, right?" said Meutya in a working meeting at the DPR Building, Jakarta, on Thursday, June 27, 2024.

Meutya seemed surprised by the statement by the Head of BSSN Hinsa Siburian who acknowledged the lack of governance so that Kominfo did not backup or back up data. In the middle of this year, as many as 210 government agencies were affected and digital-based public services were disrupted following cyber attacks on PDNS in Surabaya.

Meutya Hafid's actions in the political arena began when she joined the Golkar Party in 2009. She served as Chairman of Commission I of the DPR for the 2019-2024 period and came from the electoral district of North Sumatra. This 46-year-old woman was re-elected as a member of the DPR for the 2024-2029 period in the same electoral district.

As Chairman of Commission I of the DPR for the 2019-2024 period, he has extensive experience in dealing with strategic issues, including the fields of defense, intelligence, communication, and information. This experience provides an understanding of the challenges faced by the telecommunications and information sector in Indonesia.

He is also known for his vocals while serving as Chairman of Commission I of the DPR. His remarks during a working meeting some time ago became proof. Now, he is in a place previously occupied by Budi Arie Setiadi. Serving the Minister of Communication and Digo, Meutya Hafid is faced with many big challenges that need to be addressed immediately. One of the most crucial issues is about protecting personal data.

In this digital era, the leakage of personal data poses a serious threat to individual privacy and national security. Data leak cases involving various government agencies and private companies have sparked public concern. After the enactment of the Personal Data Protection Act (UU PDP), the Ministry of Communication and Industry has a vital role in ensuring that this rule is implemented effectively.

However, Pratama Persadha, Chairman of the CISSReC Cyber Security Research Institute, does not see issues related to cybersecurity, including the government's focus, at least this can be seen from the oration of President Prabowo Subianto's inauguration speech which did not mention this issue.

The PDP Law, which has been fully in effect since October 18, 2024, cannot be fully enforced by law enforcement because there are no institutions that have officially implemented and supervised matters related to Personal Data Protection, including imposing sanctions on institutions, both government and private, who are victims of data leakage.

Evidence that the previous government does not have a concern or does not care about the urgency of the Establishment of a Personal Data Protection Institution is increasing with the statement from the Deputy Minister of Communication and Information (Wamenkominfo) Nezar Patria on October 14 stating that it is possible that the Personal Data Protection Institution still needs a transition period of 6-12 months. This should not have happened again if the government was serious about the urgency of enforcing the PDP Law.

"Continuous and continuous cyber attacks also seem to show the government's carelessness regarding cybersecurity issues, because even though there is no financial loss with cyber attacks, the reputation and good name of the Indonesian state will be tarnished in the eyes of the world," said Pratama in a statement received by VOI.

Pratama added, Indonesia is even referred to as a negeraopen source whose data can be seen by anyone in the aftermath of the many hacks that have occurred so far. Finally, the government was only involved in cyber attacks and handling it that was often late and took a long time.

Another form of indifference from the government is the absence of publications from reports related to the incident. So far, various hacking cases that have resulted in data leakage that have occurred have never been announced, the results of audits and digital forensics.

Never mind the audit results and digital forensics, in fact, many institutions do not admit that they have data leakage and assume that data leakage occurs to other parties who also have similar data, even though Data Control and Data Processing are responsible parties in the event of a data leak," Pramata continued.

Therefore, Pratama said, the new government led by President Prabowo must have a concern on the urgency of implementing the PDP Law and the establishment of a Personal Data Protection Institution, because if it does not have a consensus, it can be ascertained that cyber incidents followed by data leakage will continue to occur.

People who are victims will not be able to do anything because data leaks do not occur on their devices but occur in systems owned by Personal Data Control and Personal Data Processing.

In addition to personal data protection, Meutya's other challenge is strengthening telecommunication infrastructure. Indonesia is a very large archipelagic country, so that equitable distribution of telecommunication infrastructure, especially in the leading, outermost regions, and underdeveloped (3T) can be achieved.

Online gambling eradication is also one of Meutya's toughest homeworks. The Ministry of Communication and Trade under Meutya is expected to play a more role in closing online gambling sites because this is a social problem that damages people's morale.