Indonesia's Military Uses Disinformation to Silence Dissent
Severity: High (Score: 72.2)
Sources: Asianews.It, Amnestyusa, Scmp, Thejakartapost, Amnesty.Au
Published: · Updated:
Keywords: disinformation, military, activists, building, imaginary, enemies, foreign
Severity indicators: military
Summary
Under President Prabowo Subianto's administration, Indonesia has seen a rise in coordinated online disinformation campaigns targeting journalists, activists, and civil society organizations. These campaigns label critics as 'foreign agents' and have been linked to violence and intimidation. Amnesty International's report, 'Building Up Imaginary Enemies,' details how these tactics have been systematically employed since Prabowo took office in October 2024. The report highlights that social media platforms like Meta, TikTok, X, and YouTube have failed to take effective action against the spread of harmful content. The disinformation campaigns often involve hundreds of accounts posting identical messages, which can escalate to physical violence against targeted individuals. The implications for those labeled as 'foreign agents' include severe reputational damage and increased risks to their safety. The situation reflects a broader trend of authoritarian practices aimed at stifling dissent and public debate in Indonesia. Key Points: • Coordinated disinformation campaigns target critics of the Indonesian government. • Accusations of being 'foreign agents' have led to violence and intimidation. • Major social media platforms have not effectively addressed the spread of harmful content.
Detailed Analysis
**Impact** Journalists, activists, academics, and protesters in Indonesia have been targeted by coordinated disinformation campaigns since October 2024, affecting civil society and media sectors nationwide. Over 18 months, these campaigns have led to reputational damage, increased risk of criminalization, and physical violence, including an acid attack on activist Andrie Yunus in Jakarta. The disinformation has chilled public dissent, undermined legitimate protests against corruption, budget cuts, environmental issues, and military power expansion, and disrupted operations of NGOs and media outlets such as Greenpeace Indonesia and Tempo newspaper. **Technical Details** Disinformation campaigns employed coordinated networks of hundreds of social media accounts posting identical videos, graphics, and messages simultaneously across platforms including Meta, TikTok, X, Instagram, and YouTube. Accounts linked to the Indonesian military and anonymous profiles disseminated false “foreign agent” allegations to discredit targets. No malware, CVEs, or specific exploit details were reported. The campaigns represent a coordinated influence operation targeting the information and reputation kill chain stages. **Recommended Response** Defenders should monitor social media platforms for coordinated posting patterns and disinformation narratives, especially those alleging “foreign agent” status. Social media companies must be urged to remove harmful content and suspend coordinated inauthentic behavior. Civil society organizations should increase digital security awareness and report threats promptly. No technical patches or malware detections are applicable based on available information.
Source articles (5)
- Indonesia: Military silences dissent with disinformation campaigns branding activists and ... — Amnesty.Au · 2026-05-19
‘Building up Imaginary Enemies ’ reveals a growing pattern in which Indonesian authorities – including the military – deploy online disinformation to target journalists, activists, academics and prote… - Amnesty: Indonesian military uses disinformation to target opponents and activists — Asianews.It · 2026-05-19
A new report highlights coordinated online campaigns against voices critical of the government, whether media outlets or NGOs, following Prabowo Subianto’s accession to the presidency. Accounts linked… - Indonesian authorities used fake news to brand critics as 'foreign agents': Amnesty — Scmp · 2026-05-20
Amnesty’s findings reflect growing concerns that Indonesia is backsliding towards army rule under former special forces commander Prabowo “In the 18 months since Prabowo took power, online disinformat… - Disinformation used to silent government critics, says Amnesty - Politics — Thejakartapost · 2026-05-19
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below. Just click on the icons to get to the download page. Can't find wha… - “Building Up Imaginary Enemies”: Misinformation, Disinformation, and 'Foreign Agent ... — Amnestyusa · 2026-05-19
Since President Prabowo took power in October 2024, state officials have repeatedly resorted to harmful and stigmatizing mis- and disinformation online, relying on unsubstantiated ‘foreign agent’ alle…
Timeline
- 2024-10-01 — Prabowo Subianto takes office: Prabowo Subianto's presidency begins, leading to increased repression of dissent through disinformation.
- 2026-03-01 — Acid attack on activist Andrie Yunus: Andrie Yunus, targeted by online disinformation, suffers severe injuries from an acid attack linked to his activism.
- 2026-05-19 — Amnesty International report published: Amnesty releases 'Building Up Imaginary Enemies', detailing the use of disinformation by the Indonesian military against critics.
Related entities
- Amnesty International (Company)
- Greenpeace Indonesia (Company)
- KontraS (Company)
- Meta (Company)
- X (Company)
- YouTube (Company)
- Tempo (Platform)
- Instagram (Platform)
- TikTok (Platform)
- Indonesia (Country)