Puan Maharani Reminds Government To Complete PDP Bill: If President's Personal Data Can Be Leaked, Especially Ordinary Citizens

Speaker of the House of Representatives Puan Maharani/PHOTO VIA ANTARA

JAKARTA - House of Representatives (DPR) Speaker, Puan Maharani, reminded the government's commitment to finalize the Personal Data Protection Bill (PDP), which had long been discussed with the DPR.

"Even the president's personal data could be leaked, let alone ordinary citizens. We both know that many residents' identification numbers (NIK) have been leaked and eventually trapped by illegal online loans", said Puan Maharani, quoted by Antara, Friday, September 3. This was conveyed by Puan regarding the increasingly widespread leakage of personal data, including the president's personal data which was leaked through vaccine certificates circulating on social media.

Puan said any leaks of personal data that trouble residents must immediately be "patched" with the Personal Data Protection Law.

Therefore, she asked the government to be committed to completing the Personal Data Protection Bill, which the public was waiting for.

"Through the PDP Law, the leakers and the beneficiaries of the leakage of personal data will be subject to sanctions, ranging from fines to criminal charges", he said.

Puan Maharani explained that the Personal Data Protection Bill has not yet been ratified because there are still differences of opinion between the DPR and the government regarding the position of the supervisory authority for personal data protection.

According to him, the DPR wants the institution to be independent and accountable to the president, while the government wants the institution to be under the Ministry of Communication and Information.

"Supervision is not enough under the government, because the government plays the role of managing personal data. An independent institution is needed to avoid this potential conflict of interest", she said.

She stressed the importance of a thorough assessment of the impact of data leaks on society at large.

According to her, it is very important to know the data and facts about the loss of society due to the leakage of personal data so that it is useful for the preparation of the Personal Data Protection Bill.

"If necessary, the DPR will form a special working committee for a comprehensive assessment so that the DPR can fully hear the aspirations and complaints of the people who have been harmed by the leakage of their personal data so that the drafting of the Personal Data Protection Bill will improve", he said.

Previously, Puan in her Opening Speech for the First Session of the DPR for the 2021-2022 Session Year, revealed the target for the completion of 7 bills in the first session, one of which is the Personal Data Protection Bill.