Cyber Observer Reveals Impact Of US Dollar Exchange Fault On Google Could Make Financial Loss

Google search engine (photo: Pixabay)

JAKARTA - On Saturday, February 1, netizens were shocked by the drastic drop in the US dollar to rupiah exchange rate. Where today, Google displays a value of 1 US dollar equivalent to Rp. 8,170.

Based on the monitoring of the CISSReC Cyber Security Research Institute team, there are many possibilities why these errors could occur. First, because of bugs or technical problems from external parties, because Google admits that conversion data comes from third parties.

"Input errors can also be another possible cause of the inaccuracies of the exchange rates displayed," said Chairman of the CISSReC Cyber Security Research Institute, Pratama Persadha in his official statement quoted Monday, February 3.

However, Pratama added, there are more serious possibilities such as manipulation or misuse of the system due to hacking, although according to him this is very rare.

"In extreme scenarios, the manipulation of this exchange rate data can be used as part of a speculation or disinformation strategy to disrupt the market," he continued.

He stressed that the error in displaying this exchange rate is not just a technical problem, but also has a wider impact, especially when system improvements are slow and the public relies on Google as their reference.

When the data displayed is inaccurate and lasts for a long time without correction, Pratama sees this can cause confusion, unrest, and even noise in the community.

Many individuals, business people, and investors use Google as a benchmark for making economic decisions. If the information provided does not match reality, this has the potential to cause a detrimental financial impact," he said.

Furthermore, he added, errors in displaying exchange rates that took place for a long time could be categorized as spreading misleading information, or even hoaxes.

To ensure correct exchange rate information, Pratama suggested that users not only rely on Google as the only reference. Use other sites such as Bank Indonesia, Bloomberg, Reuters, and so on.