BRTI Said About Alvin Lie's Risih Lawsuit With Midnight Advertising SMS

Ilustrasi SIM Card operator seluler (Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Communication and Informatics (Kominfo) spoke up regarding the lawsuit filed by Ombudsman member Alvin Lie. Because he was disturbed by the advertising SMS that he often received from Indosat at unreasonable hours, such as 02.30 in the morning.

Commissioner of the Indonesian Telecommunications Regulatory Body (BRTI) Kominfo, I Ketut Prihadi Kresna Murti, said that his party did not know for sure the details of the problem between Alvin Lie and Indosat. However, Kominfo will study the lawsuit to find out what really happened.

"We do not know the details of the problem being sued. So we have not been able to respond thoroughly," said Ketut when contacted by VOI, Tuesday, August 18.

He explained, in principle, the offering of goods or services through telecommunications means can indeed be done, if the recipient of the message wants it. However, users can also reject the ad SMS, if they don't want it.

"For example, if a cellular operator offers its product or service, it must be accompanied by an option for customers not to receive such offers or promotions in the future," explained Ketut.

This provision has also been regulated in Law number 8 of 1999 concerning consumer protection and is ethically regulated in Indonesian pariwara ethics. Where is a guideline for the advertising industry in a reasonable profession.

On November 30, 2018, BRTI has issued TAP BRTI Number: 04 of 2018 concerning Handling of Complaints of Telecommunication Service Abuse, which is effective from December 10 2018. pic.twitter.com/JCbz9bQVst

- Complaint BRTI (@ adriBRTI) December 12, 2018

Meanwhile, other SMS offers sent by non-telecommunication operators, such as credit loan SMS, said Ketut is a form of 'Spam' message. This message is sent randomly without having to know the target, so it is quite difficult to control.

"(But) if this is deemed insufficient, Kominfo or BRTI can make rules that reaffirm the principles of advertising. We plan to further coordinate this with all cellular operators," said Ketut.

As previously reported, aviation observer Alvin Lie felt uncomfortable and annoyed by annoying ad SMS messages on a continuous basis. Moreover, the messages were sent at an unnatural time span, even in the early hours.

As a consumer, Alvin revealed that he has the right to comfort and safety in using Indosat's services, as regulated in Article 4 of the Consumer Protection Law. However, because the advertising SMS messages continued to appear, he finally filed a lawsuit against Indosat and Kominfo at the Central Jakarta District Court, with case number 464 / Pdt.G / 2020 / PN JKT.Pst dated August 14, 2020.