Internet Users In Indonesia Increase, Director General Directorate General of Informatics Applications Of The Ministry of Communication and Informatics: Improving Digital Literacy Is A Shared Responsibility

Director General of Aptika, Ministry of Communication and Informatics, Samuel Abrijani Pangarepan in a Webinar Chat with Legislators on Wednesday, April 13 (Photo: Screenshot)

JAKARTA - The rapid pace of digital technology in Indonesia is now increasingly driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to advancing digital development, massive social media also carries big risks such as online fraud, hoaxes, cyberbullying, and other negative content.

The Director-General (Dirjen) of Informatics Applications (Aptika) at the Ministry of Communication and Informatics, Semuel Abrijani Pangerapan said that the increased use of digital technology must be balanced with a capable digital literacy capacity.

"It needs to be balanced with a capable digital literacy capacity, so that the Indonesian people can use digital technology wisely," he said in a Webinar Chat with Legislators on Wednesday, April 13, with the theme "Utilizing Social Media Optimally".

According to the We Are Social report, in early 2022, internet users in Indonesia reached 204.7 million people. "Which means, this number has increased by 2.1 million from the previous year," continued Samuel.

Meanwhile, Samuel continued, the digital literacy index of the Indonesian people is still at 3.49 out of a scale of 5, which means it is still in the medium category and needs to be improved.

In accordance with the mandate of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), Kominfo as the front line in efforts to accelerate digital transformation in Indonesia has the task of being a facilitator, regulator, and accelerator.

At the same time, Dede Indra Permana, Member of Commission I of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), said that one of the most important things in another digital era is the matter of protecting personal data.

There is a lot of misuse of personal data. One of them is for fake sweepstakes, which are sent via SMS or Whatsapp. "Protection of personal data. That is what we (DPR) must protect, namely through the Personal Data Protection Act," said Dede.

Therefore, Samuel considers that equipping people with digital technology literacy in Indonesia is a shared responsibility. Good collaboration can help accelerate Indonesia's digital transformation today.