When a Communications Specialist Fails to Communicate

Judging by the headline, did Media Buffet PR fail to communicate? Fortunately, no. Because, as is widely circulating in the news and on social media, one of the Indonesian government’s ministries seems to have successfully demonstrated to the Indonesian people what irony really means. Hmm, it looks like they’ll need help from a local digital PR agency to defuse this PR crisis.

The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (Kominfo) has once again made a blunder. This time, it’s related to the ministry’s communication strategy in responding to the alleged leak of 1.3 billion Indonesian SIM card registration records on a hacker community website.

Communication Without a Strategy

Initially, the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (Kominfo) responded to the issue by issuing a press release that was quoted by the media on Thursday, September 1, 2022. There were several key points in that press release.

First, Kominfo stated it would conduct an internal investigation regarding the SIM card data leak, and as a result, Kominfo stated it does not have any applications that store SIM card registration data.

Second, Kominfo stated that the data being sold did not originate from Kominfo.

And third, Kominfo will investigate the data leak further.

Referring to Harold Lasswell’s communication model, there are several stages in a communication strategy: who, said what, in which channel, to whom, and with what effect.

Kominfo’s initial response to the SIM card data leak issue via a press release was appropriate. Unfortunately, the statement that “it does not have any applications that store SIM card registration data” actually produced the opposite effect among the public.

Instead of getting answers, the public has become even more puzzled. So where exactly is our personal data stored when we register our SIM cards?

The Irony Coming from a Minister’s Mouth

The next blunder was a statement made by Communications and Information Minister Johnny G. Plate to reporters on the sidelines of the G20 meeting at The Westin Resort in Nusa Dua, Bali, on Saturday, September 3, 2022.

In the “who” stage of Lasswell’s communication model—that is, “who is speaking”—Minister Johnny actually met the criteria as the most authoritative spokesperson to address the mass media. However, the blunder arose from what he actually said (“Said what”).

Speaking to the media, Johnny said, “We must always change our one-time passwords so that we can ensure our data isn’t breached,” as quoted by Tempo.co when he was interviewed at The Westin Resort in Nusa Dua, Bali, on Saturday, September 3, 2022.

This statement has further led the public to question Johnny’s competence and credibility, as a minister in charge of information technology who does not understand what a “one-time password” or OTP is.

The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology’s poor communication practices did not end with Johnny’s statement.

Pouring Gasoline on a Fire

On Monday, September 5, 2022, Semuel Abrijani, Director General of Information Technology Applications (Ditjen Aptika) at Kominfo, held a press conference and issued a statement: “(A message for hackers): Yeah, if possible, just don’t attack. Because every time there’s a data breach, it’s the public who suffers—after all, that’s illegal access,” replied the man commonly known as Semmy when asked by reporters about the message he wanted to convey to hackers, as quoted by Kompas.com.

As if to fan the flames of an already raging fire, this statement was immediately responded to by Bjorka, the hacker account that leaked and sold data on 1.3 billion SIM card registrations belonging to mobile customers in Indonesia. In a thread on Breached Forums, Bjorka wrote a post titled “My Message to the Indonesian Government.”

“Stop being an idiot!” wrote Bjorka, attaching a screenshot of media coverage of Semmy’s statement. This was a direct jab at the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology: as if hackers aren’t allowed to hack!

Instead of focusing on finding a solution to the SIM card data breach, Minister Johnny was provoked into responding to Bjorka’s comments by urging the public not to be provoked by the hacker’s words.

“Let’s all use terminology that aligns with our culture and adheres to universally accepted ethical standards,” he said, as quoted by CNN Indonesia.

It’s truly unfortunate that, as a key government public relations (GPR) agency, Kominfo seems to lack an effective communication strategy for managing crises. When a “Ministry of Communications” appears to have failed at communication, what should they do to put out the fire they started themselves?