Jakarta, Indonesia – A member of โthe Indonesian legislature has questioned the assessment of Brigadier General Juinta omboh Sembiring, Head ofโ the TNI’s Cyber Defense โUnit โค(dansatsiber โคTNI), thatโ social โคmedia activist and founder of the Malacca Project, Ferry Irwandi, poses a cyber threat. The inquiry follows General Sembiring’s โฃrecent consultation with theโ Jakarta Metropolitan Police โregarding alleged criminal acts committed by Irwandi.
General Sembiring โvisited the Jakarta โMetropolitan Police headquarters on Monday, Septemberโ 8th, โคstating his unit had uncovered “facts of allegedโค criminal acts” โฃduring cyber patrols.โฃ Whileโค details ofโข the alleged offenses remain undisclosed pending investigation, โSembiring revealed attempts to contact Irwandi โขfor โคconsultation onโข algorithmic matters were โunsuccessful. This โaction by the TNI’s โcyber unit raises questions aboutโฃ the โฃscope of cyber defense responsibilities, particularly considering 2014 guidelines limiting suchโ functions to the โMinistry of โขDefenseโค and the TNI, as noted by retired TNIโ personnel TB Hasanuddin.
The case highlights ongoing debate surrounding the boundaries of โcyber security enforcement in Indonesia and the potential โขfor โฃcivilian โoversight of military cyberโ operations. The Jakarta Metropolitan Police will now investigate the allegations,determining whether criminal charges will be filed against Irwandi.The outcome could setโ a precedent for future interactions between the military, civilian activists,โข and โlaw enforcement in the digital sphere.
