Komdigi Emphasizes Data Transfer to the US Is Not from the Government, But a Choice of Indonesian Citizens

Illustration of data transfer (Photo: Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The government has confirmed that the practice of data transfer regulated in the Agreement on Reciprocal Tariffs (ART) Indonesia and the United States is not carried out by the government, but by Indonesian citizens (WNI).

Minister of Communication and Digital Meutya Hafid said that this data exchange process is the choice of each individual when they choose to use a global digital platform.

He stated that the news regarding the government handing over or exchanging data on 280 million Indonesian citizens through the ART agreement with the US was one thing that was wrong.

"The government will exchange 280 million data, it is also a focus that damages the knowledge of the community. When Indonesian citizens provide data to enter the US platform, for example, US companies, the data is automatically transferred," he said when met by the media in Jakarta on Friday, February 27.

He explained that the practice of exchanging data had actually been going on for a long time, even long before the ART was signed by President Prabowo Subianto and US President Donald Trump.

The use of global social media, cloud services, and digital payment systems based on overseas technology technically involves the transfer of cross-border data, especially if the data center or server is outside Indonesia.

Meutya emphasized that there was no obligation for the public to use a certain platform.

"And this (data transfer) is also not mandatory, if you don't want to use digital payments based on the US state or use an AS-based platform, that's okay too. So there are still choices," he concluded.