Digital Harassment Targets Indonesian Anti-Corruption Activist
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Muhammad Isnur, chairman of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), has spoken out about a digital attack, or "doxing," targeting an anti-corruption activist with the Corruption Watch group (ICW). The doxing involves exposing the personal details of an activist who criticized Joko Widodo‘s (Jokowi) nomination as a corrupt figure by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).
Isnur believes that such digital attacks on vocal critics are becoming more common. "This is a pattern, a form of backlash and intimidation targeting those who are critical," he said, in an interview on Saturday, January 4, 2025.
He sees this doxing as a form of digital authoritarianism, and while he doesn’t believe the state is directly involved, he thinks it’s not doing enough to stop it. "There have been some cases brought to court, but they’ve stagnated," he said, pointing to incidents involving journalist Narasi and activist Ravio Patra.
The ICW activist was reportedly doxed by an anonymous Instagram account on January 3. The victim’s personal details, including phone numbers, ID card numbers, addresses, phone specifications, and last-known locations via Google Maps links, were leaked. Agus Sunaryanto of ICW views this doxing as an attempt to silence critics following Jokowi’s OCCRP nomination.
"Instead of criticizing Jokowi’s nomination, we should see it as a warning to improve our anti-corruption efforts. Jokowi’s two terms have seen a decline in corruption fighting and democracy," Agus said, citing Indonesia‘s Corruption Perception Index drop and the rise of political dynasties.
ICW plans to file a police report regarding the doxing incident. Isnur, meanwhile, urged the government to protect activists, journalists, environmentalists, and anti-corruption campaigners from such attacks.
