Defending Indosat, Minister Of Communication And Information Calls The Case Of Stealing SIM Card Data A Mistake Of Naughty Partners

Minister of Communication and Information Budi Arie Setiadi (right) together with President Director & CEO of Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison total Sinha (left) at the Media Center of the Ministry of Communication and Information, Jakarta, Thursday 12 September 2024. (ANTARA-Pamela Sakina)

JAKARTA - Minister of Communication and Information (Menkominfo) Budi Arie Setiadi said the case of the theft of data from Bogor residents used to sell SIM Cards ( SIM cards) was not purely Indosat's fault, but a partner of the telecommunications company.

"Last week we discussed with Indosat, that this was Indosat's dealers' fault, and of course Indosat has a business classification of its dealers, this is the naughty one for its dealers," he said at the Media Center of the Ministry of Communication and Information, Jakarta, Thursday, September 12, quoted by Antara.

As for the aftermath of this case, Commission I of the DPR RI confirmed that it would summon Indosat as a cellular operator suspected of illegally registering for prepaid registration, as well as summoning the Ministry of Communication and Information.

Responding to this, Budi Arie admitted that he was ready if a summons would be made to his staff.

"Later, about the DPR or our call will be ready if there is, what is certain is that these (ors) are elements of Indosat's dealership," he said.

Furthermore, the Minister of Communication and Information emphasized that the government will not tolerate cybercriminals, including the theft of personal data.

He also revealed that Indonesia already has a Law (UU) to protect public personal data, namely Law Number 27 of 2022 concerning the Protection of Personal Data (UU PDP) which is effective in October 2024.

"The Personal Data Protection Act will take effect in October 2024, the government is very serious about protecting citizens, especially in terms of personal data, but most importantly I also urge the public to participate in maintaining their personal data," said the Minister of Communication and Information.

On the same occasion, President Director & CEO of Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (IOH)men Sinha firmly said that Indosat condemned illegal acts, including the case of data theft to sell SIM cards.

"I want to repeat once again, Indosat condemns illegal acts," he added.

We are very strict and clear in matters relating to the protection of our customers and data. I have a personal commitment with Pak Budi to ensure that Indonesian talents are there to use this skill," saidOKel referring to the Indosat program with the Ministry of Communication and Information to provide cybersecurity training to one million Indonesians in the next five years.

Previously, the Ministry of Communication and Information revealed the findings with IOH officials after the case of stealing data from Bogor residents used for selling SIM cards.

Director General of Post and Information Administration (Dirjen PPI) of the Ministry of Communication and Information, Wayan Toni Supriyanto, said that the mobile phone number of the Indosat cellular operator whose registration used stolen data was confirmed to be disabled or turned off.

The data theft case refers to a legal case handled by the Bogor City Police on August 28, 2024, with two criminals being employees of Indosat partner Ooredeo Hutchison with the initials MR (23) and L (51) who were proven to have collected personal data from residents to make a profit by registering prepaid card numbers.