Indonesia protests hit by coordinated disinformation

Disinformation about recent anti-government protests in Indonesia has spread across social media in what researchers described as a coordinated effort to distort the movement and discourage participation.

AFP fact-checkers have debunked dozens of posts about student-led demonstrations this summer on platforms including Instagram and TikTok. The false posts included old footage of crowds and burning buildings shared with claims that local media were ignoring widespread chaos.

Rallies last week in Jakarta over economic conditions and the government's handling of corruption turned into clashes with police. Police said they detained hundreds of people in connection with the march on parliament, including 65 people suspected of being “provocateurs”.

Namora Siahaan, a member of the University of Indonesia Student Executive Board, said false information about protest locations and student arrests could spread fear and deter people from joining demonstrations.

Authorities said last month they had detained nine people and seized 10 social media accounts for allegedly spreading disinformation about possible riots. Iman Imanuddin, criminal investigation director for the Jakarta Metropolitan Police, said some suspects had received orders or payment from other parties to produce and distribute content.

Researchers also reported evidence of coordinated online behaviour. Ismail Fahmi, founder of Media Kernels Indonesia, said an analysis of about 29,000 posts between July and August found a campaign amplifying threats of looting and unrest while downplaying protesters' demands.

Ika Idris, an associate professor at Monash University Indonesia, said her separate analysis of nearly 35,000 posts on X in late July found patterns that would have been almost impossible to carry out manually. She said she could not determine who was behind the campaigns, but some posts were used by pro-government accounts to discredit government critics.

The protests come one year after anger over lawmakers' perks grew into wider anti-government unrest after President Prabowo Subianto took office in 2024.