Indonesia Needs Legal Shield Against Digital Espionage

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia needs a dedicated law to counter espionage and foreign interference as evolving threats increasingly put national security and sovereignty at risk. The legal framework is needed to address covert operations that can now be conducted through cyberspace and other non-conventional channels.

Muhammad Arbani argued that technological progress has made espionage harder to detect. He said Indonesia needs laws to protect its strategic national interests from foreign espionage and interference, including digital technology.

“Legislation specifically addressing espionage and foreign intervention is actually something new. Such a law has never existed before. This is dangerous, given that espionage can now be carried out covertly,” Arbani said in a statement received in Jakarta on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, as quoted by Antara.

Arbani said foreign interference can target a range of strategic sectors, including politics, the economy, history, and culture. In the economic sector, for instance, foreign pressure can take the form of measures such as embargoes that could affect the national economy.

Cyberspace, he said, has also become a critical front in protecting national security. Digital technology can be exploited for influence operations, the spread of hoaxes, the formation of post-truth narratives, and propaganda as part of hybrid warfare.

“Therefore, a law on espionage and foreign intervention is crucial to prevent adverse outcomes, particularly in cyberspace, as such interventions can infiltrate through digital channels,” he said.

Indonesia already has regulations governing intelligence, information security, personal data protection, and cyber activities. However, Arbani said those regulations address specific areas and have yet to establish a comprehensive legal framework specifically covering foreign espionage, foreign interference, influence operations, and cyberespionage.

A dedicated law, he argued, would establish clear legal boundaries for activities that threaten Indonesia’s strategic interests and national security.

“If Indonesia had such a law, we would be stronger at the national level. Espionage activities threaten national security and are prohibited; consequently, perpetrators could face criminal penalties,” Arbani said.

He said the legislation should go beyond prosecuting individuals acting as spies. It should establish definitions and legal provisions covering espionage and foreign interference, the illegal collection of strategic information, agent recruitment, relationships with foreign principals, influence operations, and digital espionage.

At the same time, Arbani stressed that stronger national security protections must not come at the expense of democratic principles and citizens’ rights. Clear safeguards are needed to ensure the law cannot be misused to silence criticism, restrict legitimate journalism, or interfere with lawful academic activities.

“Therefore, strengthening the legal framework must maintain a balance between national security, democracy, and citizens’ rights,” he said.

The need for stronger legal protection against espionage and foreign interference was also emphasized by State Intelligence Agency (BIN) Chief retired Army General Muhammad Herindra. He called for a dedicated legal framework to address evolving threats amid intensifying global geopolitical competition.

Speaking at a seminar titled “Sovereignty on the Front Line: National Policy on Countering Espionage and Foreign Interference,” organized by the ASEAN Study Center (ASC) at the University of Indonesia’s Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP UI), Herindra said espionage and foreign interference are serious threats that require a stronger national response.

He noted that many such activities operate in a “gray area,” making them difficult to address through conventional legal instruments. Clear regulations, he said, are therefore necessary to strengthen the protection of Indonesia’s strategic national interests.

Herindra also said the proposed law on countering espionage and foreign interference requires comprehensive consideration to ensure that efforts to protect national security remain consistent with democracy and civil liberties.

Beyond legislation, he emphasized the need to strengthen counterintelligence capabilities and interagency coordination to detect foreign influence that could undermine national sovereignty or threaten the safety of Indonesian citizens. ***