Indonesia's electronic visa system has been hit by a major security breach, putting the confidential information of thousands of travelers at risk. This worrying breach comes at a time when Indonesia is seeking to boost its tourist appeal, particularly in Bali.
A bug with alarming consequences
The problem was discovered when several Australian tourists found that by scanning the QR code on their e-visa, they were accessing the personal data of other travelers. Full names, dates of birth, passport numbers and even photos were exposed to complete strangers.
Lauren Levina Melbournian on vacation in Bali, was amazed to be able to view the information of two other Australians on her document.
"I felt like a victim of identity theft".
This malfunction does not appear to be isolated. Other reports mention similar situations, involving passengers of various nationalities. An Australian was even able to access the data of two Chinese tourists, while Lauren Levin's cousin saw an Indian's information appear on his e-visa.
A belated reaction from the authorities
Faced with the scale of the problem, the Indonesian authorities finally reacted. A spokesman for the Immigration Department in Jakarta acknowledged the existence of the flaw, assuring us that teams were working to resolve it. However, his words hint at a certain laxity.
"We receive tens of thousands of visa-on-arrival applications every day (20,000, ed. note). These kinds of anomalies have happened before, but that doesn't mean we trivialize them."
Indonesian authorities
This reassuring response comes at a time when Indonesia has just set up electronic gates".smart"A Bali airport immigration supervisor reportedly admitted that the problem persisted. An immigration supervisor at Bali airport even admitted that the problem persisted.for a while"and touchedeverybody“.
Crucial issues for Indonesian tourism
This data leak comes at a critical time for the Indonesian tourism industry. The country, which welcomes over a million Australians every year (representing a quarter of all visitors to Bali), is seeking to revitalize its sector in the wake of the pandemic.
The incident raises serious questions about Indonesia's ability to protect travelers' personal data, at a time when cybersecurity is becoming a major issue. Just a few months ago, the country was already dealing with the theft of 6 million tax IDs, put up for sale on the dark web..
Towards stricter rules?
Paradoxically, this security breach comes at a time when Indonesia has just tightened its visa regulations. Penalties for immigration offences have been significantly increased, from a maximum of one year's imprisonment to up to 20 years' imprisonment..
This increased severity is accompanied by tighter controls on the ground. In Bali, 125 additional immigration officers have been deployed, patrolling the island in 20 jeeps and 20 motorcycles. These officials are now even authorized to carry firearms, officially to protect themselves against "illegal immigrants".dangerous transnational criminals“.
For the time being, the authorities assure law-abiding tourists that they have nothing to fear. But in a world where personal data protection is becoming a major concernIndonesia will soon have to provide solid guarantees to reassure potential visitors.
Fill in a file from e-Visa Indonesia
English 
Français 
Deutsch 
Italiano 
Español