JAKARTA, KOMPAS – Blank electronic identification cards (e-KTPs) bearing government specifications are circulating and being traded on the market. As a form of state identification, e-KTPs are not permitted for commercial sale.
Kompas’ investigative reporting team has obtained blank copies of original e-KTPs at Pasar Pramuka Pojok Market in Central Jakarta and from a seller on the Tokopedia e-commerce platform. The blank e-KTPs are identical to the government-issued cards, bearing original holographic seals.
Scanning the blank e-KTPs with smartphones that have a near-field communication (NFC) chip returns an NXP reading, the same chip used in original, government-issued e-KTPs.
The technical test, which was conducted by chip expert Eko Fajar Nur Prasetyo, found that the blank e-KTPs purchased at Pramuka market and through Tokopedia both contained NXP chips.
According to Eko, who used a card reader, the test results on the Kompas team’s purchased blank e-KTPs had identified them as NXP chips. "According to the results of the test, the chip claimed to be NXP," said Eko, who has often testified as an expert witness on semiconductor technology for the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in the e-KTP corruption trial.
Eko said the test also indicated that the three purchased blank e-KTPs were functioning at 80 percent normal capacity. "The chips (in the three e-KTP samples) are able to communicate with our card reader. They are functioning normally," he said.
The card reader test on the blank e-KTPs, said Eko, showed that the cards were 80 percent valid.
Personalized
Eko and his team also tested the three blank e-KTPs with a card reader that were loaded with the secure access module (SAM) keys of the Home Ministry’s directorate general of population and civil registration (Ditjen Dukcapil). The card reader indicated that the blank e-KTPs obtained from the Lotusbdl shop on Tokopedia had been personalized.
Personalization is one of the first steps to writing population data onto e-KTP chips. As the process requires SAM keys, only institutions that have card reader machines using SAM keys can personalize the cards.
During the test, the chips in the blank e-KTPs requested a fingerprint scan. The request was prompted when the card reader had read about 90 percent of the contents of the chips. The chips in the blank cards contained population identity data in the top layer, but each data column only contained rows of the number 8.
"Interestingly, this blank card (obtained from Lotusbdl) already contained personalized data. However, it seems that it hasn\'t been activated yet," said Eko.
Civil service director general Zudan Arif Fakrulloh at the Home Ministry said on Monday (3/12/2018) that he had not suspected that blank e-KTPs were being sold on the market. Zudan said that commercial trade in state documents, such as blank e-KTPs, was prohibited.
Kompas showed Zudan the blank e-KTPs obtained from Pramuka market and Tokopedia. "If I may, I would like to borrow these two (blank) cards so that I can track down their producers," he said.
He added that if the blank e-KTPs obtained by Kompas had been personalized, it meant that the cards had come directly from the manufacturer. "Personalization is done at the factory so that [the cards] can be processed at Ditjen Dukcapil. [Personalized cards] means that they just came out of the factory," he said.
Zudan said that the government used three e-KTP card manufacturers: PT Pura Barutama, PT Trisakti Mustika Graphika and PT Jasuindo Tiga Perkasa. "The three companies that manufacture the e-KTP cards have UID [unique identifier] numbers. The source (of the cards) can be traced [using the UIDs]," he said.
Removed
Regarding the confirmed sale of blank e-KTPs at the Lotusbdl shop on Tokopedia, Tokopedia Vice president for public policy and government relations Astri Wahyuni said that Tokopedia offered opportunities for traders in the country to open shops on the e-commerce platform.
"Tokopedia has taken strong action against all forms of misuse of the Tokopedia platform and legal violations, including the sale of blank e-KTPs. The product has been removed," said Astri.
The legal management director of state goods and services procurement, Setya Budi Harijanta, said that the technical specifications for blank e-KTPs had remained unchanged to date, including the NXP chip. "The specifications for the chip and hologram are still the same," he said.
Setya said that blank e-KTPs should not be circulated in the public domain, let alone sold on the market. He also said that just like money, e-KTP cards could be produced beyond the government quota.
He added that the e-KTP card manufacturers’ contracts with the Home Ministry also regulated damaged blank cards. "Damaged cards must be reported and destroyed. They would not be released," he said.
(Kompas Team)
