Indonesia parliament passes personal data protection bill

A motorcycle taxi driver waits for orders in the business district on Jl. Sudirman (Jakarta, Indonesia) on April 26. (Antara/Dhemas Reviyanto). Sketched by the Pan Pacific Agency.

JAKARTA, Sep 20, 2022, VNA. Indonesia’s parliament on September 20 passed a personal data protection bill that includes corporate fines and imprisonment for those who violate this law, VNA reported.

The bill has received overwhelming support of a large number of Indonesian parliamentarians, which authorise President Joko Widodo to set up an oversight body to penalise those who breaches rules on on distributing or gathering personal data.

The biggest fine is 2% of a corporation’s annual revenue and could see their assets confiscated or auctioned off. Individuals can be jailed for up to six years for falsifying personal data for personal gain or up to five years for gathering personal data illegally.

The bill’s approval comes after a series of data leaks and probes into alleged breaches at government firms and institutions in Indonesia, from a state insurer, telecoms company and public utility to a contact-tracing COVID-19 app.

Abdul Kharis Almasyhari, a member of the commission overseeing the law, said the approval reflects the government’s effort in ensuring the protection of the personal data of its people.

Share it


Exclusive: Beyond the Covid-19 world's coverage