PDP And PSC Bills Are Necessary To Strengthen Indonesia's Cyber Security

Pratama Persadha , Chairman of the Cyber Security Research Institute CISSReC (Communication and Information System Security Research Center) (photo: doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The Bill on the Protection of Personal Data (UU PDP) and the Act on Cybersecurity and Resilience (KKS) are urgently needed to strengthen Indonesia's cybersecurity. Therefore, cybersecurity expert Pratama Persadha encourages the government to immediately ratify it.

“There are at least three main laws that regulate cyber space in Indonesia, namely the ITE Law, the PDP Law, and the PSC Law. Of the three, practically the ITE Law, which has existed since 2008 and underwent a 2016 revision. The DPR RI and the government should pursue the PDP Law and the PSC Law to be ratified," said Pratama in a statement received in Jakarta, Wednesday.

President Joko Widodo said that the potential of Indonesia's digital economy would reach US$ 135 billion (Rp 1962 trillion). According to Pratama, Indonesia's digital economy figures can be achieved even much higher, not without prerequisites. The main requirements are internet infrastructure and cyber security in the country.

The growth of the digital economy, according to Pratama, will be exponential if cyberspace in the country is truly safe, cybercrimes can be overcome, misuse of personal data gets appropriate and proper punishment.

"With a safe and conducive cyberspace situation, this is the best guarantee for the community to carry out digital economic activities, which in the end will continue to increase domestic and foreign investors in increasing economic activities in the country. Not only that, the state will not be missed by exploiting data from various technology giants," said the Chairman of the CISSReC (Communication and Information System Security Research Center) Cyber Security Research Institute.

Pratama underlined that all of this can be realized, one of which is if the legal instruments are complete and strong. According to him, the PDP Law and the PSC Law must be prioritized by the state.

"This PDP Law is very much awaited so that the rules for using data in the country are clearer, very closely related to the management and use of data by industry, as well as state institutions for the protection and security of the public," said Pratama, as quoted by Antara.

Pratama added that the ITE Law needed to be revised. The circular letter from the Head of the National Police regarding the technical implementation of several articles of the ITE Law should be a strong reason for the ITE Law to be revised more comprehensively. Article 27 which is often used as a tool to report trivial cases such as mocking each other, is even used to report to each other because of political differences.

This situation, according to Pratama, clearly widens segregation in society due to differences in political choices.

"On the Birthday of Pancasila, I hope that the PDP Law and the PSC Law will soon be born in the country so that they can be in charge of various defense policies, cyber security in the country, and guarding Indonesia's digital economy. If our cyber area is not safe, then who wants to invest, everyone is afraid of fraud because it is not safe," he said.