The Anti-Corruption Study Center (Saksi) of the Faculty of Law at Mulawarman University (Unmul) held a public discussion examining the crucial issue of the militarization of digital technology. The discussion, titled 'Technology Militarization at the Intersection of Law and Human Rights,' highlighted the shift in both global and domestic military spending, which is now starting to target cyber surveillance technology.
A researcher from the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (Elsam), Kezia Khatwani, warned that the military's use of advanced technology is no longer limited to conventional battlefields. There are major concerns that these surveillance technologies are being misused to monitor civilians, blurring the line between the domain of national defense and individual privacy rights. Kezia cited the use of artificial intelligence and facial identification technology in military operations in conflict zones like Palestine as an example.
In the Indonesian context, Gina Sabrina from the Raksha Initiative revealed indications of the use of advanced foreign surveillance technology, including the controversial Pegasus spyware developed by NSO Group. This spy tool is capable of hacking and taking control of devices without requiring any interaction or clicks from the victim. Once infected, the system can illegally access the microphone, camera, and even personal data history.
Unfortunately, the adoption of this advanced defense technology has not been matched by adequate domestic regulations to prevent abuse of power. Gina compared this with regulations in Europe, such as in the UK, where the government is required to notify citizens once the surveillance period has ended. In Indonesia, the exemption of privacy rights in the name of 'national defense interests' under the Personal Data Protection (PDP) Law has the potential to become a catch-all clause that harms the legal rights of citizens.
On the other hand, the Chairperson of Saksi FH Unmul, Orin Gusta Andini, highlighted the vulnerability to corruption in the procurement process of such military technology. Referring to existing regulations, procurement in the defense sector can be carried out confidentially without an open tender mechanism. This widens the loophole for bribery and budget abuse under the pretext of state secrecy. Orin urged that budget evaluations and defense audit results remain open and transparent to the public for the sake of legal accountability.
