Defara Dhanya, Jakarta – A screenshot from the Threat Watchdog account circulating on social media claims the "240 Million Population Database" has been leaked, or a database of 240 million Indonesians. The post, dated February 25, 2026, mentions an actor named YUKA and includes a link to the dark web offering the database, sparking concerns about another large-scale data leak from Indonesia.
Responding to this, Alfons Tanujaya, a cybersecurity and digital forensics practitioner from PT Vaksincom, stated that the website mentioned in the post, darkforums.me, is inaccessible. Therefore, Alfons believes the latest information about the data leak from Indonesia cannot be fully trusted.
However, he added that the claim of a data leak of 240 million Indonesians is not new information. He stated that the data of 240 million Indonesians has been leaked for a long time. "It's probably recycled," Alfons said when contacted on Sunday, March 1, 2026.
Separately, the Chairman of the Indonesia Cyber Security Forum (ICSF), Ardi Sutedja, also mentioned that this kind of news often recurs. Ironically, it doesn't always receive a public response in Indonesia. "As has been the case in the past, news like this won't receive serious attention from the government and regulators," he said.
According to Ardi, this pattern often causes issues of alleged major data leaks to fade before there is further clarity regarding their validity or follow-up action. He explained that data is not just a series of numbers, but a strategic asset that can be exploited for economic and political gain. He cited the Cambridge Analytica scandal as an example of how social media user data can be manipulated to influence public opinion.
He also highlighted cross-border data flow policies, which have the potential to turn data into a trade commodity and pose risks to digital sovereignty. Although Indonesia already has a Personal Data Protection Law (PDP), Ardi questioned the effectiveness of its implementation amidst technological developments such as artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing.
Furthermore, Ardi warned that the impact of data leaks not only harms individuals through identity theft or fraud, but also has the potential to impact social stability and national security. "Data is the foundation of Indonesia's future, and protecting it is a concrete form of safeguarding the nation's sovereignty and dignity," he said.
Ardi believes that decisive government action is needed, starting with strengthening regulations, consistent law enforcement, and increasing public digital literacy to prevent similar cases from recurring and being overshadowed by other issues.
Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/2090012/is-240-million-indonesians-data-sold-on-the-dark-we