Indonesians Need Personal Data Protection Bill: Survey

TheIndonesia.id - A new study reported that a fraction of Indonesians are skeptical about the government’s capability to protect their personal data.

According to a survey by the Center for Digital Society (CfDS) at Gadjah Mada University, 99.7 percent out of 2,401 respondents believed that the government is responsible to guarantee the security of Indonesian’s personal data.

However, 14.9 percent were skeptical that the government can manage and ensure the security of personal data.

The study that aimed to raise awareness on the protection of personal data also revealed that the majority of participating respondents were aware of the importance of data protection.

“99.5 percent of Indonesians felt that personal data protection is important. They’re also worried that their data will be misused by different parties,” the digital intelligence lab manager at the CfDS Paska Darmawan said on Wednesday, December 1, 2021.

Regarding the Personal Data Protection Bill that’s currently being deliberated, 28.6 percent of respondents aren’t aware of the bill, while 98.2 percent agreed that the bill should be passed considering cases of data thefts by committed by corporations and state agencies.

Darmawan said the study also revealed concerns and demands from the public related to the focus of the bill, such as an independent monitoring body, ban on data transfer and use without subject’s permission, as well as penalty and accountability for data controller.

CfDS also offered a number of recommendations for policy-makers, such as enhancing digital literacy through multi-stakeholder approach, between the government, educational institutions, private sectors, and communities.

The government, especially the Ministry of Communication and Information, is also expected to welcome suggestions during the formulation stage up to the post-implementation evaluation.

And as expressed by the public, CfDS also recommended the government to set up a separated, independent public agency to oversee the implementation of the bill as well as conducting evaluation.