Depok — Indonesia’s strategic position in the Indo-Pacific region is considered to make Indonesia a target for various foreign interests, including espionage practices that are now growing increasingly complex through digital space and cyber activities.
Senior Lecturer in International Relations at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP) at the University of Indonesia, Edy Prasetyono, said that the public needs to understand that espionage practices are a real threat that has long existed in relations between countries.
“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 Prasetyono.
According to Edy, almost all countries have national security instruments in place to protect strategic information from the threat of data theft and foreign intelligence operations. He believes Indonesia also needs to strengthen its regulations and strategic information protection systems to counter the threat of cross-border data theft.
The Executive Director of the ASEAN Study Center, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Indonesia (FISIP UI), stated that espionage can be carried out by both partner countries and parties with opposing interests. The impact is considered serious, as it can reduce a country’s defense capabilities and disrupt strategic infrastructure.
“If a country is developing new technology, for example in energy, will it be detrimental if it’s stolen through espionage? The target country is always disadvantaged. Espionage inevitably threatens the country,” he said.
Meanwhile, Head of the Postgraduate Program at the Department of International Relations, FISIP UI, Ali Abdullah Wibisono, said that the practice of foreign espionage is an old activity that continues to develop in line with technological changes.
“This activity is empirical, it exists in everyday life,” said Ali.
Ali cited the May 2026 indictment of Harry Lu Jianwang in the United States and the revelations by Poland’s Internal Security Agency regarding the recruitment of ordinary citizens as “disposable agents” for foreign interests.
He also warned that modern espionage threats now largely occur through cyberspace. By 2025, approximately 39 million Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) threats were recorded targeting Indonesia’s digital networks.
According to him, the public needs to increase awareness of personal data protection and digital security because modern espionage practices often take place through platforms used daily.*