Can Indonesia’s new cybercrime unit win its war on fake news?
Only a few weeks in operation after four years of planning, the National Cyber and Encryption Agency has a giant mandate. But confusion remains about its role and its reach
A plan to establish the National Cyber and Encryption Agency (BSSN) was put forth four years ago when President Joko Widodo took office, but the agency only started work in January after Major General Djoko Setiadi was installed as its leader. The agency faces myriad tasks, such as squeezing terrorist cells’ online communications, curbing radical content and hoaxes on the internet, securing digital payments and e-commerce systems, tracking cybercrimes and consolidating the nation’s vast cybersecurity elements. BSSN itself is a revitalisation of the country’s existing national encryption agency, and it reports directly to Widodo.
“We have to work together to address cyber threats,” Setiadi said during a panel discussion held by the Jakarta Foreign Correspondents Club. “BSSN will coordinate with all of the [existing] governmental cyber units, including those in the police and armed forces.”
The agency currently has no operating budget, but it has requested 3 trillion Indonesian rupiah (US$217 million) from parliament, which would be used to hire hundreds of information technology experts. The lack of an operating budget creates concerns that cyber units working under the direction of BSSN will be forced to stop temporarily, including the crucial Indonesia Security Incident Response Team on Internet Infrastructure.