Bayu Marhaenjati, Lenny Tristia Tambun, Jakarta – A government digital application that tracks vaccination status of every citizen came under fire after the personal data of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo were leaked to various social media platforms.

Government officials have repeatedly warned app users against making public their own vaccination status, saying it could be misused by irresponsible parties.

But the fact that even the president himself couldn't protect his personal data has exposed the app's vulnerability to unintended visit by a third party.

The Peduli Lindungi (to care and protect) app was created by the Communication and Information Technology Ministry to track vaccination data. It also allows users who have been partially or fully vaccinated to pass screening at public transportations and other facilities which require vaccination status.

"We regret that the personal data [of the president] have been circulating and hope that all related agencies will immediately take necessary actions to prevent a recurrence of this incident and protect personal data of all communities," Fadjroel Rachman, a spokesman for the president, said on Friday.

The leaked vaccination certificate of the president shows that Jokowi took the second jab of Chinese-made Coronavac vaccine on January 27. It also contains his citizenship identification number and a QR code that records more information.

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said he was aware of the incident last night and decided to lock data of state officials.

He said the app was previously left open to allow more users to access, because a lot of vaccinated people have yet to install the app in their cellphones.

"People coming to check-in at airports or malls were denied entry because they couldn't show their vaccination status. This certainly caused inconvenience so we made the app open at public request – they can have access to it by simply filling their citizenship identification number," Budi said in Jakarta on Friday.

The policy also allows vaccinated people to correct data if they couldn't find the certificate on the app, as long as they have proof from the medical institution where the jab was taken, Budi added.

"But now we realize that the personal data of the president and other state officials have been circulating publicly so we will lock their accounts," he said.

Around 65 million Indonesian citizens have been at least partially vaccinated against Covid-19 to date.

Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/tech/govt-app-under-fire-over-leaked-jokowis-vaccination-statu