Cybersecurity Expert Warns of Data Privacy Risks in MPLS Twibbon Trend

The widespread trend of new students uploading MPLS (Masa Pengenalan Lingkungan Sekolah) Twibbon frames on social media carries significant risks to personal data security if not done wisely, a cybersecurity expert has warned.

Pratama Persadha, a cybersecurity analyst and chairman of the CISSReC cyber security research institute, cautioned that personal information displayed in these frames can be easily accessed, copied, and misused by irresponsible parties.

“From the perspective of togetherness and pride in being part of a new school, this trend certainly has positive value. However, from a cybersecurity and personal data protection standpoint, this habit needs to be approached more wisely,” Pratama said when contacted in Jakarta on Saturday (20/7).

Pratama explained that the risk increases when information such as full names, facial photographs, domicile, and school origin are published openly. This data becomes an easy target for cybercriminals using Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) techniques.

With OSINT, perpetrators can collect and correlate various pieces of information scattered across the internet to build a digital profile of an individual without needing to hack their accounts. The more data shared voluntarily, the easier it is for a person’s identity to be mapped by criminals.

Furthermore, Pratama stressed that children and teenagers generally do not yet possess the adequate skills to recognise digital manipulation tactics. This makes them vulnerable to communications that appear natural but are actually malicious in intent.

As a preventive measure, he encouraged schools and parents to improve digital literacy education. Students need to be taught how to safeguard their personal data and understand the consequences of the digital footprint they leave behind.

Pratama suggested that information on Twibbon frames be limited to general details only, for instance, using only a nickname without other detailed identifiers.

“MPLS Twibbon is not something to be avoided. What needs to be built is a better digital literacy culture so that the spirit of introducing oneself can still be carried out without sacrificing personal data security,” he concluded.