DPR Speaker Puan Maharani on Thursday called on the government to uphold privacy safeguards in line with existing regulations.
"The Indonesian government should protect the personal data of its citizens, as we already have the PDP Law," she said, referring to Law Number 27 of 2022 on Personal Data Protection (PDP).
Maharani also urged the government to clarify how different categories of personal data will be safeguarded under the new agreement.
"The government, through its ministries, must be able to explain whether the personal data of Indonesian citizens is indeed protected — and to what extent," she added.
Deputy Chairperson of DPR Commission I, Dave Laksono, echoed this concern, emphasizing that the data transfer deal must comply with domestic laws.
"We are still waiting for the government to provide technical details regarding the data transfer agreement," he said.
In response, the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs clarified that the agreement with the US does not allow unrestricted data transfers. Instead, it establishes a legal framework to manage cross-border data flows.
"This agreement provides a legal basis for protecting Indonesian citizens’ personal data when using digital services from US-based companies, such as search engines, social media, cloud services, and e-commerce," Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs Meutya Hafid said in a statement on Thursday.
Separately, the head of the Presidential Communications Office, Hasan Nasbi, stated that the scope of the agreement is limited to specific goods and services and does not entail open-ended data sharing.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump announced key aspects of the new import tariff agreement with Indonesia, which includes provisions on cross-border data transfers.
According to a statement released by the White House on Wednesday, the policy falls under commitments to eliminate barriers to digital trade. As part of these commitments, Indonesia has agreed to provide certainty for the transfer of personal data to the United States.
"Indonesia will provide certainty regarding the ability to transfer personal data out of its territory to the United States by recognizing that the United States is a country or jurisdiction that provides adequate data protection under Indonesian law," the White House stated.
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Translator: Melalusa Susthira K, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Anton Santoso
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