Indonesia tightens surveillance controls after presidential wiretap scandal
Officials are considering palace sweeps and tighter oversight of surveillance equipment as investigators examine alleged monitoring of the president and others.
Indonesia plans to tighten controls on government surveillance equipment and is considering sweeping the presidential palace for listening devices after a wiretapping scandal that has reached the country’s senior police ranks.
Senior legal affairs minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra said Monday that the government was taking steps to prevent equipment held by state agencies from being misused, according to Reuters’ reporting from Jakarta. He described a palace sweep as a precaution under consideration, not an operation already completed.
The announcement follows the arrest of four senior police officers accused of unauthorized phone monitoring. The alleged targets included President Prabowo Subianto, other officials and people outside government.
An investigation is underway. No formal charges had been announced in the Reuters report.
Questions over who controlled the equipment
Authorities say the alleged surveillance began after Prabowo took office in late 2024. They have not disclosed how many people were monitored or identified all the targets.
Businesspeople, journalists, activists and political figures were among those affected, according to the account given to Reuters. The uncertainty over the scale of the operation leaves investigators with questions about who authorized access and how the equipment was used.
Yusril said the investigation followed a tip received by police. The new police chief examined the information and reported it to the president, he said.
The minister did not set out a timetable for new safeguards or explain the detailed changes being prepared. His comments establish the government’s intention to strengthen oversight, while leaving the practical arrangements open.
A former police chief among those arrested
The officers arrested include former national police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo, who is not related to the president. He had recently become presidential chief of staff before being dismissed following his arrest, Reuters reported.
Listyo is widely regarded as a loyalist of former president Joko Widodo. The case has intensified scrutiny of relations between Prabowo and the predecessor who once supported him.
Those political ties form part of the backdrop, but they do not establish responsibility for the alleged surveillance. Arrests and official accusations are not findings of guilt.
The government has characterized the alleged monitoring as potentially treasonous. That remains its assessment while investigators establish what happened and whether charges should follow.
Safeguards are the next test
The immediate policy issue is how Indonesia will control access to powerful surveillance tools held within the state. A search for listening devices could address a physical security concern, but the proposed restrictions on equipment use raise a broader question of accountability.
Further announcements should clarify what approvals will be required, who will oversee compliance and how officials will investigate suspected misuse. Reuters’ account does not yet establish those details.
For now, the new development is the government’s response to the scandal. The underlying arrests were reported earlier; Monday’s remarks concern the safeguards officials are preparing and the security measures they are considering.
Photograph credit
Archive photograph: changing of the guard at Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, May 23, 2010. Gunawan Kartapranata (Gunkarta), via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0. Resized and converted to WebP; the adapted photograph remains under the same license. Not an image of the current investigation. Original photograph and rights record. Image license.
