Indonesia launches cyber agency

Indonesia yesterday launched a new cyber security agency as the world's biggest Muslim majority country moves to tackle online religious extremism and a flood of fake news on social media.

Millions of Indonesians are going online for the first time just as concern about Internet hoaxes reaches a fevered pitch.

One of the most high-profile cases in recent times was a false claim circulating on social media in December that Beijing was seeking to wage biological warfare against Indonesia.

The viral hoax prompted the Chinese embassy to issue a statement saying that the reports were "misleading".

Yesterday, Indonesian president Joko Widodo named Major General Djoko Setiadi, former chairman of the country's encryption agency, to lead the new body.

Setiadi's Herculean task will include cracking down on terrorist networks which communicate online and combating online hate speech that has been blamed for driving fundamentalism in a country once praised for its religious pluralism.

"We will control cyberspace," Setiadi said yesterday.

"Our technology will not only be able to detect, but also to penetrate [terrorist] networks."

Chief Security Minister Wiranto, who like many Indonesians goes only by one name, added: "We need this body to help maintain security nationally, regionally and globally."