The National Times - Indonesia protesters targeted by coordinated disinfo

AFP fact-checkers have debunked dozens of posts about student-led demonstrations this summer on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, including old footage of huge crowds and burning buildings shared alongside false claims that local media are ignoring widespread chaos.

Rallies last week in the capital Jakarta over worsening economic conditions and the government's handling of corruption did devolve into clashes with police, but the violence shown online was far worse than the reality on the ground -- and activists say rumours are hurting their cause.

"Hoaxes can influence whether someone decides to join a protest or not," said Namora Siahaan, a member of the University of Indonesia Student Executive Board, a group behind similar rallies.

Namora cited the spread of false information about protest locations and student arrests, which he said are "likely intended to spread fear and discourage civilians from taking part in the demonstrations".

Police said they had detained hundreds of people in connection with last week's march on parliament, including 65 on suspicion of being "provocateurs".

Supriyono, another protest coordinator, told AFP he was concerned the unrest could have been deliberately provoked.

Last month authorities detained nine people and seized 10 social media accounts for allegedly spreading disinformation about possible riots, though they did not disclose who was behind it.

"The motives vary, including financial gain," said Iman Imanuddin, criminal investigation director for the Jakarta Metropolitan Police, during an August 7 press conference.

"Some suspects received orders or payment from other parties to produce and distribute the content," he added, about one week after calling the operation an "organised digital propaganda syndicate".

- Coordinated effort -

The campaigns come one year after protests over lavish perks for lawmakers spiralled into general anti-government anger -- Indonesia's biggest unrest since President Prabowo Subianto took office in 2024.

Multiple researchers have found evidence of a coordinated attempt to promote disinformation about more recent demonstrations, which have called in part for seizing corrupt officials' assets and ending the government's costly free school meals programme.

Ismail Fahmi, founder of data analytics company Media Kernels Indonesia, analysed about 29,000 social media posts between July and August and uncovered a campaign that amplified threats of looting and unrest, while downplaying protesters' demands.

The narratives contributed to a "perception in the public sphere that mainstream media have been co-opted by those in power and are deliberately censoring demonstrations," Ismail said -- despite ongoing coverage from local and international news outlets.

Ika Idris, an associate professor at Monash University Indonesia, separately analysed nearly 35,000 posts on X in late July and found almost all of them came from accounts that "showed patterns that would have been almost impossible to carry out manually".

One video viewed more than 1.9 million times falsely presented aerial footage of a massive student protest in June as evidence that more large-scale rallies were going uncovered.

Similar posts debunked by AFP misrepresented a fire started by angry protesters in South Sulawesi province last year as a recent blaze at the parliament building.

Ika's analysis found one account reposted nine such claims within just over a tenth of a second -- hinting at possible coordination.

She also saw a spike in rumours ahead of last week's anti-graft protest in Jakarta that the event had been cancelled.

"There was clearly an attempt to amplify it," Ika said.

- 'What is real' -

While Ika could not determine who was behind the campaigns, some of the posts she analysed were "used by pro-government accounts to discredit those who criticise the government".

"The danger is multi-layered because this issue could delegitimise legitimate protesters," she said.

But the main victim, she said, is "not any particular political side, but rather the public's ability to distinguish what is real from what is not".

Bivitri Susanti, a member of the selection panel for the Shadow Cabinet, a watchdog group formed in July by academics and activists as a counterpart to Prabowo's administration, agreed that the spread of false information has created confusion about protesters' aims.

"Unfortunately, I feel that the efforts of those seeking to create such a situation have proven successful," she said.

S.Mitchell--TNT