Indonesia President Joko Widodo's COVID certificate leaked online; raises national alarm

In a major data breach, the COVID-19 certificate of Indonesian President Joko Widodo has leaked online. The records were accessed and widely shared on social media. The leaked data included the incumbent President's vaccination details and the institution where he was jabbed, the Strait Times reported.

The reports were accessed by the public through the Care Protect app PeduliLindungi, where they could see the biodata, vaccination dates, types of doses administered, and the location of the Vaccination Centre, The Star reported. The high-profile security breach has raised concerns over the government's data protection methods across the country. As per reports, the PeduliLindungi application was mandatorily installed in phones of the citizens to ensure data protection. The application is deemed mandatory to register for air travel and entering malls in Indonesia.

The high-level security breach has drawn sharp criticism from the citizens. Digital Analyst Ismail Fahmi told a prominent news agency that the leak bared the skeleton of the bleak national security system. He also demanded an investigation into the matter to find an answer as to "why personal records can be easily mined." Meanwhile, on Friday Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin asserted that the breach was mended and no more records could be accessed.

The second breach in a week

The high-profile national security breach comes at the heels of another similar incident that occurred earlier this week. Sensitive information of over 1.3 million was leaked online during the security breach. Additionally, reports of government contact tracing along with vaccine records also surfaced on the internet following the social security glitch. Indonesians are appalled by the subsequent security breaches in the country. While some declared less dependence on the government, many asserted that Indonesia's data protection is "very low."

Meanwhile, Presidential spokesperson Dr. M Fadjroel Rachman said that his office "regretted" the breach. He also urged the concerned authorities to initiate a probe into the matter and prevent potential incidents, he told the agency.

COVID situation in Indonesia

As of September 2, the Indonesian Ministry of Health recorded no fresh cases in the last 24 hours, which is the greatest achievement after the numbers reached 50,000 plus in June. From the pinnacle on July 15 when almost 56,000 infections were reported in one day, there has been a gradual drop in infection rates throughout August. As per the last tally, Indonesia has recorded about 14lakh cases and 1.34 COVID-related deaths since the first case of the novel virus. 

Image: PIXABAY/AP (representative)