Marguerite Afra Sapiie, Jakarta – The National Cyber Agency, a soon-to-be-established body assigned to tackle cyber crimes, will neither endanger Indonesia's democracy nor be intrusive to people's private lives, a senior minister has guaranteed.
Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto strove to calm down public concerns that the presence of such a body might bring draconian surveillance practices on people's private lives in the country by saying the agency would instead protect residents' Internet and social-media activities from cybercrimes.
"Don't worry. This agency will not meddle with individuals' or companies' private matters. Some people say the agency will monitor individual conversations. This is false. It's another hoax," Wiranto said on Thursday.
The minister further said even though state institutions such as the Defense Ministry, the National Police, the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) and the Communications and Information Ministry had developed their own cyber divisions, not all state strategic bodies had been fully protected from cyberthreats, he went on.
"E-commerce, banking, financial services and big companies have yet to be protected. Therefore the agency will be formed," Wiranto said. (ebf)