At our seventh Google for Indonesia this year, we were pleased to host many of our partners from the government, public and private sectors.Throughout the day, we discus…
Back in 2017, Niken Satyawati’s day was filled with the business of running her household — caring for her three daughters, preparing meals, and the many other tasks any stay-at-home mom would know all too well. But in May of that year, Niken traveled from her hometown of Surakarta to Google’s office in Jakarta, where she attended a training session to learn the skills she needed to become a fact-checker.
“I saw many hoaxes on the internet. It affects real life. Friendships are broken, fighting between families,” Satyawati said. “Someone must do something to reduce them.”
So she decided to take matters into her own hands, joining a group of citizen fact-checkers who were gathering in online forums to fight misinformation. They called themselves Masyarakat Anti Fitnah Indonesia, the Indonesian Anti-Slander Society, or Mafindo for short.
A co-founder of Mafindo — Septiaji Eko Nugroho — was recruiting volunteers to join this verification training in Jakarta. Niken joined a motley crew of programmers, journalists, drivers, doctors and housewives to learn about search operators, reverse image search, video metadata, geolocation and other tools used by professional fact-checkers.
“I thought it was a great opportunity to learn about how to find the truth, thanks to tools I didn’t know existed, by hearing from people who used them all the time,” she said.
Since then, Mafindo has grown — building a professional fact-checking team that, along with the citizen fact-checkers, has debunked more than 8,550 hoaxes. They’ve trained more than 1,200 volunteers like Niken, organized anti-hoax festivals and delivered media literacy programs around the country, reaching nearly 1,000,000 Indonesians. To reach housewives, they created a web series about an anti-hoax family.
“I’m not a professional, full-time fact-checker, but I can do simple fact-checking and have gotten used to educating the general public at the family level,” Niken said.
But her modesty belies her role in Mafindo. She is on Mafindo’s presidium, or leadership committee, and is a leading figure for the organization in Central Java. She coordinated a ‘train the trainers’ program for media literacy program Tular Nalar that has reached 1400 lecturers and 6000 teachers over the past two years, and manages a weekly radio broadcast on anti-hoax issues in Surakarta.
To people interested in joining her and becoming a volunteer fact-checker themselves, her message is simple: “Every fact checker must have commitment. Commitment to integrity, and to making a better life for others by reducing the hoaxes around us. Expertise is certainly required, but can be learned. And don’t forget to share your expertise, so there will be many fact checkers in the world.”
For Indonesians who want to learn more about fact-checking — and become volunteers — Mafindo will be offering many more opportunities as it celebrates its fifth anniversary. Late last year, Google.org supported Mafindo and the MAARIF Institute with an $800,000 grant, so the two organizations can reach another 26,000 lecturers, teachers and students.
As we celebrate International Fact-Checking Day this Saturday, all of us can emulate Niken by learning more about how to identify misinformation online. We’ve compiled a list of five tips to help anyone read the news like a fact-checker — and we look forward to supporting many more people like Niken as they tackle misinformation and protect their communities.
When we opened the Google Indonesia office back in 2012, we had a clear vision: to develop products and programs that were specifically helpful for Indonesians. Looking back, it’s been incredible to see the momentum the team has built over the years — and that original vision remains just as important today.
As we mark the 10th anniversary of Google in Indonesia today, I took the opportunity to explore our archives. Here are our 10 top moments from the past decade.
Over the years, many of our products and features have been developed with Indonesians in mind, such as our Google Maps two-wheel feature to help Indonesian motorcyclists. We’ve also localized features to make them helpful to Indonesians. That includes incorporating some of Indonesia’s hundreds of languages into Google Translate, including Javanese — the second-most-spoken language with 83 million native speakers.
Our Google Maps Two-Wheel feature launched in 2018
2. Training two million Indonesians with digital skills
With internet adoption growing rapidly in Indonesia, it’s a priority for Google to help ensure the next wave of entrepreneurs, businesses, and individuals are well-equipped with digital skills. Even before the opening of our office, we'd already launched several programs with local partners, including Bisnis Lokal Go Online in 2012, to help small and medium-sized businesses with their online presence. We've gone on to launch programs like Gapura Digital and Women Will, which have collectively trained more than 2 million Indonesians, including over 800,000 women entrepreneurs.
Attendees from our free Gapura Digital and WomenWill workshops from 2019
3. Supporting over 200,000 Indonesian mobile developers
A fan of tahu bulat (fried tofu balls), Bandung-based developer Own Games ID created a fun game with the same name — it topped the Play Store rankings and has over 10 million downloads to date. Hit games and educational apps coming out of Indonesia have inspired us in our efforts to train over 200,000 developers since 2016. We continue to find ways to mentor startups and nurture the developer community through programs like Google for Startups, contributing to growth of the region's largest digital economy.
The people behind Own Games ID, with YouTube creator Gogogoy
4. Bringing Borobudur to the world through Street View
Seven years ago, our Street View operators strapped on the trekker and set out to capture 360-degree imagery of all 2,500 square meters of the world’s largest and oldest Buddhist temple: Borobudur in Magelang. From the heights of the Borobudur temple to the depths of Raja Ampat, anyone in the world can explore and enjoy Indonesia’s landmarks and natural beauty — all with a simple click, no matter where they are.
Street View operators capturing imagery at Borobudur
5. Protecting our ocean with technology
Indonesia is home to some of the most beautiful natural wonders in the world, but there’s more work to do to ensure our heritage is protected for future generations. We’ve seen innovative organizations like the Gringgo Foundation, backed by funding support from Google.org, develop tools to address plastic waste pollution. We also worked with the former Minister of Fisheries and Marine Affairs, Susi Pudjiastuti, who used the technology behind Google Earth’s Global Fishing Watch to address illegal fishing in sovereign waters.
Global Fishing Watch, the first global view of large scale commercial fishing activity over time
6. Celebrating Indonesia’s rich history and culture on our platforms
We launched our first Indonesian Doodle in 2012, celebrating the 67th anniversary of our nation’s independence. Since then, our doodles have spotlighted significant local moments and celebrated historic Indonesian figures like Ki Hajar Dewantara and Roehana Koeddoes. Beyond Doodles, we wanted to introduce Indonesia’s rich culture to the world. My favorite moments were when we shared our batik tradition and Indonesian spices through Google Arts and Culture.
Our first Doodle showcasing the traditions during Indonesia’s independence
7. Empowering the next generation
We believe every Indonesian should have access to digital education and training opportunities, and we offer training tailored to people’s skill levels and goals. We introduced Google Career Certificates last year to get more people trained in job-ready skills. We also introduced Bangkit, an intensive six-month training program in partnership with local technology companies and leading universities, to equip more Indonesians with in-demand skills for the tech industry. Now entering its third year, the program has trained almost 2,500 people like Syifa Nur Aini, who became an IT manager after completing the program. We look forward to graduating another 3,000 students later this year.
After graduating from Bangkit, Syifa Nur Aini started her role as an IT Manager at Trapo Indonesia
8. Supporting journalism and the news industry
We work closely with Indonesian news publishers of all sizes, providing tools, technology and programs to help ensure everyone has access to quality information. We've partnered with publishers to help them build their business models, empower newsrooms through technology, and learn the latest tools and reporting skills. Since 2019, we’ve trained more than 23,000 journalists locally, including in-depth workshops on data journalism and fact-checking, while funding the fact-checking mission of the Cek Fakta network.
Local reporters attending a workshop run by the GNI Indonesia Training Network
9. Reaching over 100 million people on YouTube monthly
Since YouTube’s launch in Indonesia in 2012, we have seen incredible highs in Indonesia. If there’s one thing that's certain, it’s that Indonesia is full of talented individuals waiting to be discovered. Indonesian creators are redefining what it means to be artists, entertainers, and key opinion leaders. Take Weird Genius, a local band collaborating with well-known musicians worldwide and sharing their music with Indonesia and the world through YouTube. It’s humbling to see the role YouTube plays in Indonesians’ lives. For some viewers, YouTube creators make them feel part of a wider community. For others, it's about allowing them to dive deeper into their passion and brush up on new skills. Today, YouTube is reaching more than 100 million people every month in Indonesia, and the numbers continue to grow.
10. It’s always the people: Dozens of Googlers serving Indonesia today
One of my biggest joys working at Google is the people. I'm proud to see how our office has grown from just four employees to the dozens of Googlers working on impactful projects in Indonesia today.
Indonesia team during Google’s 21st global birthday celebration in the office
Together with the people, communities and businesses we support, we've accomplished a lot over the past 10 years. I’m looking forward to seeing what more we can contribute to Indonesia’s progress over the decade ahead. Happy anniversary, Google Indonesia!
Editor’s note from Ludovic Blecher, Head of Google News Initiative Innovation: The GNI Innovation Challengeprogram is designed to stimulate forward-thinking ideas for the news industry. The story below by Andrias Ekoyuono, Chief of Corporate Strategy at kumparan, is part of an innovator seriessharing inspiring stories and lessons from funded projects.
As an avid news reader, I would read stories in the media every day about social problems and natural disasters, which made me want to help by donating to those in need. However, it was difficult to find a way to donate because I had to search for other websites that could channel the funds. I would also have to ensure that the donation was channeled by a credible party. My main takeaway became this: the experience of giving donations after reading the news should be easier.
Enter kumparan, one of the most widely respected online media organizations in Indonesia. Launched in 2017, it consists of 130 journalists and a media network across 34 provinces which helps media startups grow. It serves as a key resource, giving local media the opportunity to disseminate information and voice concerns at the forefront of Indonesia’s national consciousness. Its establishment has helped the general public to understand and empathize with the problems facing their neighbors every day.
In 2020, kumparan received funding from the Google News Initiative Innovation Challenge to help create kumparanDerma, a tool that shortens and streamlines the donation process to provide aid during disasters and emergencies.
The platform allows news consumers to have direct social impact, as they can read articles and give to causes that matter to them in a one-step process through available payment options. There have been ten donation campaigns across Indonesia, including in Riau, East Nusa Tenggara, North Sulawesi, Kalimantan, East Java, and West Java, resulting in over 1,400 transactions with a total readership of roughly 600,000 article views.
These campaigns have raised money for a host of different causes, including support for people whose homes had been destroyed by an earthquake and funding for a child in a remote area who needed a mobile phone to access online school classes during the pandemic.
Andrias Ekoyuono, Chief of Corporate Strategy at kumparan
One of the fundraising campaigns was “Blurred Portrait of Sikka Children, Struggling with Pain Amid Limitations.” Two children in Sikka (East Nusa Tenggara) had been suffering from malnutrition and hydrocephalus for years. Both had received treatment from local health facilities in the past, but were unable to receive treatment for a period of five months because of the cost of transportation to obtain their medicines. As a result, kumparanDerma opened donations to support these children’s daily needs. While one of the boys sadly died, the money raised was eventually enough to help the surviving child and three others in similar circumstances.
kumparanDerma — with GNI’s support — has helped facilitate change through news readers’ donations, ensuring their generosity and compassion reach people across Indonesia. As we continue to expand kumparanDerma, we hope that building out donation processes through news platforms is just the beginning of the social impact we can make together.
In a year like no other, Indonesian entrepreneurs have shown grit and determination to keep their businesses running for the communities that rely on them. They’ve also shown great creativity in adapting new tools and technologies—like Ida, the owner of a traditional cake business in Lombok who saw business dry up when local schools were forced to close. After taking a Women Will course, Ida used Google My Business to connect with her customers, promote her range of cakes throughout Indonesia, and ultimately increase her income by 60 percent. Now she’s working with other women entrepreneurs in her community to help them make the most of technology in their own businesses.
At today’s virtual Google for Indonesia, we celebrated this entrepreneurial spirit in adversity— and shared new initiatives to help the businesses and workers most in need. We also deepened our commitment to building a strong, inclusive digital economy for all Indonesians, reflecting the theme of this year’s event: bangkit dan maju sama-sama (rise and move forward together).
Helping businesses and workers most in need
For many Indonesian business owners, the first priority continues to be funding their operations through the downturn, so they can rebuild. Together with Kiva and local financial service providers, we’ve created a $10 million fund to extend low-interest loans to the small businesses hit hardest by COVID-19—in particular, those from underserved communities.
To support the fight against youth unemployment, Google.org will make a $1 million grant to Yayasan Plan International Indonesia (Plan Indonesia), helping launch a program that will provide training and job matching assistance for over 5,000 young people.
And as workers of all ages look to find work and improve their skills, we’ll continue to expand our Kormo Jobs app with roles in sectors like logistics and essential services, and add new tools to meet job-seekers’ needs. The app already provides remote work listings and the option to interview remotely. From here, we’re adding AI-enabled learning to help job-seekers practise English, and partnering with ARKADEMI &QuBisa to offer additional certified courses, including foundational IT training and advice on mastering recruitment processes.
Preparing for a strong digital future
Technology has helped Indonesia weather COVID-19, and it will have an even bigger role in our future beyond the pandemic. The eConomy SEA 2020 report, released last week, showsIndonesians adopting new digital services faster than ever, while research from AlphaBeta finds that a digitally-skilled workforce could add more than $300 billion to Indonesia’s GDP by 2030.
Realizing that potential means equipping more Indonesians with digital knowledge and confidence, and we’re committed to playing our part. This year, we’ve expanded and adapted our training initiatives across different areas of technology—hand in hand with the Indonesian government and our partners in business and the nonprofit sector.
Since the beginning of the year, more than 200,000 Indonesian small businesses have completed online Grow with Google skills courses, taking the total number to 1.7 million since 2015. Google Cloud has held 150,000 training labs to help Indonesians get cloud-related skills, complementing the opening of the Jakarta cloud region earlier this year. And YouTube’s Akademi Edukreator partnership with Kok Bisa has trained more than 1,000 teachers, young professionals, students and content creators to produce educational video content — with more in-depth training planned as we keep building the “educreator” community.
Today, we also announced an expansion of Bangkit: a collaboration between the Indonesian government, Google and Indonesia’s biggest technology companies, created to encourage the next generation of technology talent.
Already, we’re seeing graduates from the first Bangkit cohort—many of them young women—go on to jobs throughout the private sector, pursuing big ambitions for careers at the forefront of technology. Next year, up to 3,000 Bangkit students will have the chance to pursue courses across six different tracks, from machine learning and Android development to the fundamentals of cloud.
Irfani Sakinah, a 23-year old graduate from Makkassar, secured a job as a data scientist in Jakarta after completing the Bangkit program.
With the energy and ideas of the next generation, and the solidarity we saw shine through at Google for Indonesia, I have no doubt that Indonesians will rise above the challenges of 2020, and move forward to a stronger future together.
Due to Indonesia’s vast size and population, timely and reliable access to healthcare can sometimes be a challenge. Halodoc aims to change that with a mobile first-telemedicine platform that connects Indonesians to doctors and helps them arrange appointments, medicine deliveries and tests.
What’s distinctive about the Halodoc platform is that it draws on human-centered artificial intelligence: a promising new area of research that uses continuous human feedback to improve how AI systems work, and provides a better experience for the people who rely on those systems.
With support from Google’s Late Stage Accelerator, a program that assists high-potential startups, we assembled a team of doctors, data scientists, engineers, product managers and researchers to determine how technology could support Indonesian doctors’ work. One particular approach the team identified was using AI to replicate the mentoring and feedback that junior doctors receive from more experienced colleagues in hospitals—a process that’s important to improving quality of care, but is hard to reproduce on a larger scale.
We set out to create an easy way to provide feedback in virtual health, and worked with Google’s machine learning experts in the Late-Stage Accelerator to determine the best approach. With Google’s guidance, Halodoc's engineers applied Natural Language Processing in Bahasa Indonesia to measure, rank, and provide insights that can inform doctors’ decisions across the country—using thousands of consultations to train their machine learning models.
When doctors open the Halodoc app, they see information on how they performed based on their response time and quality index metrics, along with suggested actions on how they can improve their consultation quality. They also have the option of receiving further feedback and coaching from more senior doctors if needed.
Right now, more than five percent of Indonesians use Halodoc’s platform. As a result of applying AI principles to improve the quality of care that patients experience, our app ratings have increased from 4.5 to 4.8 stars in fewer than six months, while our overall doctor scores have improved by 64 percent.
Halodoc’s telemedicine app enables doctors to deliver personalized feedback with assistance from ML-enabled insights that improve patient care.
From here, with Google’s help, we hope to continue simplifying Indonesia’s healthcare infrastructure and advance the application of AI in healthcare globally.
Due to Indonesia’s vast size and population, timely and reliable access to healthcare can sometimes be a challenge. Halodoc aims to change that with a mobile first-telemedicine platform that connects Indonesians to doctors and helps them arrange appointments, medicine deliveries and tests.
What’s distinctive about the Halodoc platform is that it draws on human-centered artificial intelligence: a promising new area of research that uses continuous human feedback to improve how AI systems work, and provides a better experience for the people who rely on those systems.
With support from Google’s Late Stage Accelerator, a program that assists high-potential startups, we assembled a team of doctors, data scientists, engineers, product managers and researchers to determine how technology could support Indonesian doctors’ work. One particular approach the team identified was using AI to replicate the mentoring and feedback that junior doctors receive from more experienced colleagues in hospitals—a process that’s important to improving quality of care, but is hard to reproduce on a larger scale.
We set out to create an easy way to provide feedback in virtual health, and worked with Google’s machine learning experts in the Late-Stage Accelerator to determine the best approach. With Google’s guidance, Halodoc's engineers applied Natural Language Processing in Bahasa Indonesia to measure, rank, and provide insights that can inform doctors’ decisions across the country—using thousands of consultations to train their machine learning models.
When doctors open the Halodoc app, they see information on how they performed based on their response time and quality index metrics, along with suggested actions on how they can improve their consultation quality. They also have the option of receiving further feedback and coaching from more senior doctors if needed.
Right now, more than five percent of Indonesians use Halodoc’s platform. As a result of applying AI principles to improve the quality of care that patients experience, our app ratings have increased from 4.5 to 4.8 stars in fewer than six months, while our overall doctor scores have improved by 64 percent.
Halodoc’s telemedicine app enables doctors to deliver personalized feedback with assistance from ML-enabled insights that improve patient care.
From here, with Google’s help, we hope to continue simplifying Indonesia’s healthcare infrastructure and advance the application of AI in healthcare globally.
Today is National Batik Day in Indonesia—and if you’re familiar with this beautiful craft, you know that there’s a lot to celebrate. Batik (meaning to ‘connect the dots’) is an Indonesian technique of wax-resist dyeing whole cloth. A one-meter piece of batik typically takes at least five skilled artisans six months to create, so we know each piece contains a wealth of hard work and emotion.
The exhibition features 23 immersive digital stories, including a tribute to legendary batik makers like Iwan Tirta—who was known to have made more than 10,000 original designs in his lifetime—and Go Tik Swan, who crafted the Batik Indonesia collection to inspire national pride. You can also learn about the Tjoa siblings, whose designs illustrate Indonesia’s diversity, displaying the parang of Java alongside peonies of China and European flower arrangements.
Indonesia has been known for its batik since the fourth century but today many of its more than 200,000 batik-makers are grappling with the economic impact of COVID-19. In addition to raising awareness of their extraordinary skill, we want to help the local industry get through the pandemic. For artisans, we’re providing digital skills training so they can take their business online. For teachers, we're providing an integrated, downloadable lesson plan that enables their students to learn about batik-making.
Batik is an ancient craft that deserves to be celebrated and preserved. We hope this new exhibition makes a small contribution to its enduring place in Indonesian and global culture.
As a teacher, Nur Ernawati believes in the value of lifelong learning—including for herself. Ernawati was one of 140 Indonesian teachers who signed up for a Bebras Indonesia course on computational thinking: a way of learning that stresses critical thinking and problem-solving rather than learning by rote. She’s since passed those lessons on to more than 400 of her students. Now she wants to see the program rolled out across Indonesia—and we’re ready to help make it happen.
At an event in Jakarta today, we announced a $1 million Google.org grant that that will enable Bebras—a global education nonprofit—to launch Gerakan Pandai: a new program designed to train another 22,000 Indonesian teachers in computational thinking over the next two years.
Why is this so important? With 64 million students, Indonesia has the fourth-largest education system in the world. But to give those students the best possible future, we need to make sure they have the skills and knowledge to handle changes in technology and solve the challenges they’re likely to face in the workplace. Bebras’ programs train teachers to help students break problems into smaller parts, assess data, prioritise information, and create solutions to complex issues: skills that are relevant to every career path, not just in the technology industry.
Announcing our $1 million Google.org grant with Awaluddin Tjalla from the Ministry of Education and Culture, Ibu Inge and Ibu Nur from Bebras Indonesia, and Scott Beaumont, Google’s APAC President.
So far, teachers trained by Bebras have taught computational thinking to more than 5,000 students—including 14-year old Nasha Rainy, one of Nur Ernawati’s students. ”Initially, I found the class very challenging, but Mrs. Erna was always there to support and inspire me to do my best,” Nasha said. “This experience has increased my self-confidence.”
By 2023, with Google.org’s support, Bebras-trained teachers will have reached two million more students across 22 locations in Indonesia, reaching underprivileged communities which might not have had these kinds of opportunities in the past.
Not only will Gerakan Pandai help young Indonesians shape their future with confidence, it will also contribute to closing Indonesia’s digital skills gap—one of our country’s most urgent priorities for the 2020s.
The Google.org grant was one of several steps we announced today, at the launch of our Grow with Google skills program in Indonesia, as we work to help millions more people succeed in Indonesia’s $40 billion internet economy.
Our skills training programs range from helping entrepreneurs use digital tools to supporting Indonesia’s most promising developers with courses in artificial intelligence and machine learning. But it all starts with education: what we teach our children and how well we prepare them for the opportunities that technology creates. With the support of Bebras—and brilliant teachers like Nur Ernawati—I’m confident the next generation will be ready to lead Indonesia forward.
Since joining Google just over a year ago, I’ve heard so many inspirational stories about the ways Indonesians are using the internet to improve their lives and others’. Entrepreneurs like Sherly Santa—who took her durian business online—have helped make Indonesia’s internet economy the largest in Southeast Asia. And a new generation of young Indonesians is working on big ideas for the future—like the Developer Student Club that built a flood warning app for villages in Bojonegoro.
The challenge for Indonesia isn’t a lack of ability or ambition. It’s giving more Indonesians the digital skills to take advantage of the opportunities technology creates, something that’s a priority for us and our Indonesian partners. Training programs like Gapura Digital and Women Will have helped 1.4 million Indonesians learn digital basics and business tools. But we also want to help Indonesians gain more advanced software skills, which are in high demand from Indonesian technology companies.
Bangkit isn't the only way we're helping Indonesians get the most out of the internet. At Google for Indonesia we also announced a partnership with Telkom to expand Google Station, so it reaches more Indonesians with a network of fast, free and secure Wi-Fi points. We’ve launched Kormo, a career app that connects job seekers and employers to entry-level roles. And we’re deepening our commitment to protecting Indonesians online, announcing Stay Safer for Google Maps—a feature that lets people share their location with friends and family, and alerts them when their driver deviates from their chosen route by more than 500 meters.
With 152 million Indonesians online—and more joining them every day—there’s great potential for Indonesia to shape its future with new technologies, growing digital industries and jobs. It starts with expanding skills and opportunities more widely across the country—and we’re committed to playing our part.
