Depok – Foreign espionage activities are still considered a real threat amid increasing global competition between nations. The practice of gathering secret data and stealing strategic information is said to be continuing to grow, including through cyberspace and targeting civilians.
Ali Abdullah Wibisono, Head of the Postgraduate Program in the Department of International Relations, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP), University of Indonesia, emphasized that espionage is not a new phenomenon in international relations. He stated that the practice has been going on for a long time and remains relevant today.
“Foreign espionage is one of the oldest activities in international relations. It’s empirical, and it occurs in everyday life,” Ali said.
The May 2026 indictment of Harry Lu Jianwang in New York, United States, is one example of an espionage operation that was exposed to the public. Furthermore, Poland’s Internal Security Agency also revealed the recruitment of ordinary citizens as “disposable agents” to gather information for foreign parties.
This phenomenon demonstrates that the general public can be exploited in intelligence operations without their knowledge. Meanwhile, Edy Prasetyono, a senior lecturer in International Relations at the University of Indonesia’s Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, stated that not all espionage practices are openly revealed to the public.
“In practice, not all espionage cases are revealed or recorded. If the issue is sensitive or involves a friendly country, it’s sometimes not disclosed,” said Edy.
He added that espionage can be carried out by both partner countries and opposing parties. The impact is considered serious, as it can weaken defense capabilities, disrupt strategic infrastructure, and even steal a country’s vital research findings.
According to Ali, intellectual property theft is now one of the most common forms of espionage. Therefore, data protection and strengthening cybersecurity systems are urgent needs.
By 2025, approximately 39 million Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) threats were recorded targeting Indonesian cyber networks. These threats are often used to mine strategic data in a gradual and difficult-to-detect manner.
Ali believes that increasing public literacy regarding digital security and national vigilance is crucial to prevent the public from being easily exploited by foreign parties amid increasingly complex global geopolitical dynamics.