Jakarta – The House of Representatives plans to conclude deliberations on the personal data protection bill in November, a delay from its initial target of finishing it in October.
"Based on the schedule set by the House Commission I [overseeing information and defense], the bill will be concluded in the second week of November," the commission's deputy chairman, Abdul Kharis Almasyhari, said during a meeting with the government on Tuesday.
Communications and Information Minister Johnny G. Plate, who attended the meeting, expressed his hope that the bill could be passed into law immediately to build a sense of security among internet users.
"Hopefully, we can 'step on the gas' to finish the bill's deliberation soon," the minister said.
The personal data protection bill, a draft of which had been assessed by the ministry since 2014, reportedly adopted several principles and aspects of the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which focuses on five main areas: data collection, data processing, data security, data breach and the right for individuals to have their personal data erased.
The country is lagging behind as hundreds of countries around the world have already adopted their own version of the GDPR, including neighboring Singapore and Malaysia. (vny)