Tokopedia CEO William Tanuwijaya Was Outspoken About Steps To Overcome Data Leaks

Tokopedia Application (Tachta Citra Elfira / VOI)

JAKARTA - Realizing that 91 million user data was compromised by hackers, Tokopedia CEO William Tanuwijaya attached a letter to his customers and explained the problems that had occurred. In his letter, William confirmed that his party had taken serious investigative steps regarding data theft on its platform.

"On May 2, 2020, we became aware of the theft of data by unauthorized third parties regarding Tokopedia user information," William said in a written statement received by VOI, Tuesday, May 12.

William explained that his party was conducting an intensive and thorough investigation on all Tokopedia platforms. Where a number of data that the thieves managed to hack, including usernames, email addresses, and phone numbers were successfully exposed by hackers on the dark web.

Even so, Tokopedia ensures that this hacker group has not succeeded in stealing other important data related to passwords and payment services, such as credit, debit and OVO cards. "We continue to ensure that passwords are encrypted with one-way encryption," William said.

Furthermore, Tokopedia also stated that it has collaborated with the government, namely the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (Kominfo) and the National Cyber and Crypto Agency (BSSN) to carry out investigations related to the protection of personal data of its users. Apart from that, his party is also conducting intensive internal investigations.

"We have also appointed a world-class independent institution that specializes in cybersecurity to help investigate and identify the steps needed to further improve data protection for Tokopedia users," he explained.

Letter from Tokopedia (Instagram @Williamtanuwijaya)

Not to forget, William also provides advice to users to always ensure the security of their Tokopedia account. You do this by changing your Tokopedia account password regularly, not using the same password on the digital platform and maintaining the confidentiality of the One Time Password (OTP) code from any party.

"Our users are the top priority. Therefore, as an additional precautionary measure, we always invite all Tokopedia users to follow recommended security measures so that all remain protected," William added.

It was previously known that 91 million user accounts and more than 17 million Tokopedia merchant data had been hacked. These data are also traded on dark web sites, for 5,000 US dollars or around Rp.73.4 million.