VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Ministry of Communication and Informatics will regulate sanctions on personal data abuse in the Personal Data Protection Bill that has just been handed to the House of Representatives. "Our fines go up to 100 billion rupiahs," said Director General of Informatics Application, Semuel Pangerapan, during a press conference in Jakarta, Tuesday.

The Ministry has not yet explained in detail the types of violations that would be subject to a maximum fine of 100 billion rupiahs.

The Director General said that fines are common sanctions within the law, regarding personal data, in any country. However, the implementation and the amount may differ in each country.

"We also have to calculate the economic impact," he said.

Minister of Communication and Information, Johnny G Plate, ensured that criminal and civil penalties contained in the regulation will be granted in accordance with the committed violations and that there is no tendency for law enforcement to lean more towards 98099.

The Personal Data Protection Bill that was handed by the government to the House of Representatives consists of 15 chapters and 72 articles.

The policies in the Bill will also apply to the financial technology sector and the Ministry ensured that they are working with the Financial Services Authority.

The Minister said that there is an urgent need for Indonesia to establish regulations with regard to personal data protection, considering that many life aspects have gone digital.

The Bill has been sent to the House, but there may be additional or fewer chapters and articles in terms of the final decision. It includes, among others, data sovereignty, data security, data ownership, data usage and data traffic between countries.

The government also ensured that the Bill would support innovation and be investment-friendly. (INE/ANTARA)