UNAIR NEWS – For the last few weeks, Indonesian people have been shocked by the hacking of Bjorka. Many believe what Bjorka is doing is a form of modern protest by utilizing technological developments. However, not a few also criticized the act of distributing personal data by Bjorka.
Not a form of modern protest
Digital Communications expert from the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP) Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) Prof. Dra Rachmah Ida MCom PhD said the hacking by Bjorka was not a form of modern protest. Through an interview with UNAIR NEWS on Friday, September 16, 2022, she emphasized that hacking has been happening globally for a long time.
“We remember Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, who leaked White House secrets. What Julian Assange did at that time opened the eyes of the world, if the data is not secure it will be easy to hack. So, the Bjorka phenomenon is a hacking phenomenon,” said the Media and Political Communications lecturer.
Prof. Rachmah said the data leaks from high-ranking Indonesian officials prove that data security in Indonesia is still weak. According to her, the e-KTP case, which was finally embezzled, shows that the state cannot maintain and guarantee the security of personal data.
“So, this is not a form of protest. Protesting means voicing the interests of groups or communities against none pro-people policies,” she added.
Protesting, said Prof. Rachmah, is guaranteed in a democratic country and is contained in the First Amendment, in the form of freedom of speech. She asserted Bjorka hacking is a cybercrime.
Criticism cannot be a personal attack
Prof. Rachmah said cyber law does prohibit hacking, scams, cybercrime, cyberbullying, and so on. However, if people voice their aspirations, they must be respected because these rights are guaranteed by law. Nevertheless, she regrets that the current ITE Law functions as a trap for people who do not accept freedom of speech.
“Technology is used to convey aspirations, it’s perfectly legal. We can criticize, but it can’t be personal. For example, calling people ugly, fat, and other things. It’s called discrimination. If you criticize public services of an institution, yes, you can,” she explained.
Indonesia is looking for its form of democracy
Prof. Rachmah said the democratic system in Indonesia is not the same as the democratic system in other developed countries. She gave an example in the United States, people like Bjorka will not receive any attention because their democratic system has been established and the political and democratic literacy of the people are high.
“Bjorka wrote a criticism on Twitter, but was then suspended by the Indonesian government. It is not ideal, but Indonesia is still looking for a form of democracy. So things like what Bjorka did are considered to be violations,” she concluded. (*)
Author: Dewi Yugi Arti
Editor: Feri Fenoria
