Indonesia’s personal data protection bill, 2020: does it meet the needs of the new digital economy?

Abstract

ABSTRACT Privacy and protection of personal data on the Internet have become issues of public concern in Indonesia. There is growing public distrust of institutions that manage personal data. Poor management of personal data provides a fertile ground for cybercrime and lack of accountability, especially in the context of the new digital economy. In response, the Indonesian Communication Ministry drafted the Personal Data Protection Bill, which has been submitted to the parliament. This paper analyzes the PDP Bill to determine whether it meets international data privacy standards. The EU GDPR is selected as the benchmark for assessment as it is regarded as the toughest privacy law worldwide. The study finds that Indonesian citizens do not have the same level of protection as their European counterparts. Nonetheless, the implementation of this bill when it becomes law will lead to a high level of personal data protection in the new digital economy.