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Data protection bill: Lawmakers, activists warn of abuse of power
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Illustration of data protection. (Shutterstock.com/Ico Maker)
T
he government and the House of Representatives have begun the deliberation of the long-awaited personal data protection bill. The proposed bill looks to create a comprehensive regulatory framework to ensure the safety of private data, but critics warn of the potential for abuse of power.
The bill, drafted by the government, is in the spotlight for a failure to regulate equal sanctions for personal data misuse conducted by the government, private sector and the public.
The government has also failed to include clear provisions on the establishment of an independent data protection authority to monitor and analyze the use of personal data in the proposed bill, disappointing lawmakers in the House’s Commission I overseeing defense, foreign affairs, information and intelligence.
"In the bill submitted to the House, the government did not include provisions [regarding the data protection agency],” NasDem Party lawmaker Willy Aditya said on Tuesday. “It only regulates disputes between citizens and the private sector.”
Citing a case that occurred earlier this month, when senior journalist Ilham Bintang lost hundreds of millions of rupiah from his hacked bank accounts, Willy said that even government institutions were prone to personal data theft.
Ilham’s case started when someone who had access to the Financial Services Authority's (OJK) financial information allegedly sold his data to hackers who then later used it to hack into his phone and log into his email and two mobile bank accounts. Eight individuals -- including a person working at a microcredit bank -- have been named suspects in the case.
“There are many government institutions managing our data -- the Home Ministry, the Communications and Information Ministry, the National Police and many others. So this bill should regulate how to anticipate potential abuses of power by those state institutions," Willy said, adding that an independent data protection agency should be an inseparable part of the bill.
