There’s nothing new with the fact that WhatsApp is not a secure messaging platform. What is increasingly alarming, however, is the number of people who are exposed to the threat both virtually and physically because of the app. Despite these risks, Indonesians are not able to remove themselves from WhatsApp due to direct endorsement from Chinese phone manufacturers, as well as having the app pre-installed in affordable Android phones. Asking people to move to more secure platforms can feel like converting people’s belief.

But on the evening of April 22, 2020, researcher Ravio Patra was arrested in Jakarta, Indonesia, not long after an attempt to protect his safety due to a WhatsApp privacy breach. His work has captured the interest of many, notably his most recent critique on the sparse handling of COVID-19 by the Jokowi administration.

Following Ravio’s arrest, a petition was launched by his colleagues urging for his immediate release. Also demanding his release was a coalition comprised of SAFEnet (Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network), YLBHI (Yayasan Lembaga Bantuan Hukum Indonesia), LBH Jakarta (Lembaga Bantuan Hukum Jakarta), LBH Press, KontraS (Komisi Untuk Orang Hilang dan Korban Tindak Kekerasan), AMAR law firm, ICW (Indonesia Corruption Watch), Lokataru Law and Human Rights Office, AJAR (Asia Justice and Rights), Amnesty International Indonesia, and ICJR (Institute of Criminal Justice Reform). Read the coalition’s full statement here.

Ravio was released the next day at 8 a.m. UTC+7. However, he still remains a suspect.

Ravio’s arrest prompts us to once again recognise how well-developed state oppression has become. It implies that ordinary citizens should appraise the necessary safety and security measures, and this is not simply about COVID-19. The stakes of physical threats following a critical attitude, even if virtually, remain high, especially considering arrests and interrogations are not taking place in the virtual world (yet).

For now, the coalition is now concerned with updating the petition to expand the scope of the privacy breach. No matter how remote we are now from each other, fixing our digital security itself will not suffice to deflect from the mechanics of authoritarian regimes.

Pitra Hutomo is EngageMedia’s Project Manager (Indonesia). 

“We call on the government of Vietnam to immediately stop the ongoing harassment of Thao and ensure that her rights are guaranteed at all times. We are deeply concerned about the deteriorating environment in which HRDs are operating in the country.”

“We worked with Thao in a digital rights initiative we just concluded,” said Nica Dumlao, Digital Rights manager of EngageMedia. “She has inspired a lot of activists in Southeast Asia. She should not be detained against her will.”

The International Federation for Human Rights has posted an urgent appeal condemning her arbitrary detention and calling “for an immediate end to all acts of harassment against her.”

BBC Vietnam has reported on the issue, and in the post Thao says that her ultimate goal is “to campaign for Vietnam to become a nation with respect for human rights and democracy.”

Below is more information about Dinh Thao from her allies in Vietnam:

Thao graduated from Hanoi Medical University as a general practitioner in 2015 but decided to forgo her profession and become a human rights activist. The turning point came in the summer of 2015, after she and other protesters were arrested for taking part in a series of demonstrations against the Hanoi authorities for cutting down 6,700 trees around the city. Dinh Thao coordinated the efforts of the environmental protection group “Green Trees” (formerly known as “For a Green Hanoi”) and also co-organized a campaign in 2016 to help independent nominees become elected to the National Assembly.

She left Vietnam in March of 2016 to attend a 6-month, civil society capacity-building program with VOICE. After completing the program, she continued to work at VOICE as a global advocate for human rights in Vietnam, achieving an international profile when she was chosen to speak in front of the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland.

As a young person who strongly supports human rights, Dinh Thao chose to return to Vietnam to fight on her own turf, regardless of the dangers that she will inevitably face. And indeed, they have already manifested themselves—in this very moment, she’s being sequestered and interrogated by tens of security officials, simply for fighting for human rights.

Featured image by Indonesian artist Ivana Kurniawati