By : Haikal Fathan Akbar )*
The General Election Commission (KPU) is collaborating with the Government to continue making maximum efforts to prevent hacking ahead of the 2024 General Election (Pemilu). The public is also advised not to worry and be alert to all developing information so that stability ahead of the Election can continue to be maintained.
In facing the 2024 Simultaneous Elections, the KPU of the Republic of Indonesia, represented by KPU Member, Idham Holik, provides guarantees for the security and integrity of the election process. In an online discussion with the theme “Horrifying… Voter Data Leaks,” Idham Holik expressed his confidence that the vote counting and recapitulation process for the 2024 Election would be safe from the threat of hacking. According to him, the vote counting and recapitulation method used was manual and in stages, in line with Law Number 7 of 2017 concerning General Elections.
In the context of this law, Idham Holik explained that vote recapitulation was carried out manually from the polling station (TPS) level to the national level. The choice to continue using manual methods is in line with provisions in the law, which do not specifically regulate the use of electronic technology. This choice was taken to ensure more reliable authentication of vote counting results and recapitulation.
Even though the KPU uses the Recapitulation Information System (Sirekap) as a tool, Idham Holik emphasized that the system only functions as a predictor of results and not as an official result. This emphasis on manual and tiered processes is carried out to minimize potential cyber threats that could harm the integrity of the 2024 elections.
It is important to note that the National Cyber and Crypto Agency (BSSN) is involved in maintaining the security of the election system. In dealing with allegations of data leaks experienced by the KPU, BSSN carried out digital forensics. BSSN spokesperson, Ariandi Putra, explained that digital analysis and forensics were carried out to identify the root cause of the cyber incident. This action is part of a comprehensive effort to ensure the continuity and security of the election process.
However, public attention was sparked by the claims of an anonymous hacker calling himself “Jimbo.” Jimbo claims to have hacked the KPU’s cyber security system and succeeded in obtaining hundreds of millions of permanent voter data (DPT) from the kpu.go.id site. Even more worrying, the data that Jimbo managed to access was sold on the dark web for up to USD 74,000 or the equivalent of IDR 1.2 billion. Jimbo also verified the correctness of the data by displaying a number of screenshots from the site cekdptonline.kpu.go.id.
This case opened a wide debate in society regarding the security of voter data and its potential impact on the 2024 Election. Adi Prayitno, a Political Observer from the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University (UIN), underlined that this hacking case should not be ignored by the KPU. According to him, this incident is a warning for the KPU to improve the security of their website, especially considering the increasingly intense issue of fraud around the 2024 Election.
Adi Prayitno highlighted the urgency for the General Election Commission (KPU) as the General Election organizing body (Pemilu) to guarantee the security of their website. He underlined how important the KPU is in securing election integrity, remembering that the success or failure of the democratic election process is very dependent on the preventive steps taken by the KPU.
According to him, the KPU must not allow the potential for hacking by irresponsible parties, which could damage the integrity and running of the election.
From a legal perspective, Abdul Fickar Hadjar, a Criminal Law Observer from Trisakti University, highlighted the serious threat of hacking against the KPU’s cyber security system. He noted that, although Law Number 19 of 2016 concerning Electronic Information and Transactions (UU ITE) provides severe criminal sanctions for hacking perpetrators, the deterrent effect of law enforcement has not necessarily reached the desired level.
Hadjar emphasized that hacking and data theft have economic value, and although the law provides strict sanctions, legal enforcement efforts must be increased in order to provide a stronger deterrent effect. Even though the ITE Law stipulates the threat of imprisonment of up to 8 years and a fine of IDR 800 million, hacking continues to thrive due to the lack of effectiveness of enforcement.
Gatot Eddy Pramono highlighted the need for the involvement of the General Election Commission (KPU) with the National Cyber and Crypto Agency (BSSN), the Ministry of Communication and Information (Kominfo), and the Indonesian National Police (Polri) in securing the results of the 2024 Presidential Election from potential interference from any party. . He emphasized the importance of thoroughly disclosing and bringing this problem to the legal realm in accordance with applicable statutory provisions.
In facing this challenge, the KPU is expected to be able to provide transparent clarification regarding the concrete steps taken to overcome the threat of hacking and suspected data breaches. This explanation is not only to gain the trust of election participants, but also to provide confidence to all Indonesian people that the 2024 election process can take place fairly, openly and safely.
It is important for the government and related institutions to continue to improve cyber security systems to protect the integrity of voter data and the smooth running of the election process. The public must be given confidence that preventive measures and handling of cyber incidents are being taken seriously. The safety and sustainability of Indonesia’s democracy depends on the ability to address these challenges with effective and transparent measures.
)* The author is a Vimedia Pratama Institute Contributor
