Vedro Imanuel Girsang, Jakarta – The issue of personal data of citizens has recently become a widely discussed topic. The protection of personal data is considered insufficient, making it vulnerable to misuse.
Indonesia's Sub-directorate III of the Cyber Directorate of Jakarta Metropolitan Police, Commissioner Rafles Marpaung, revealed that a significant amount of personal data of the public is widely available on the internet. Rafles stated, "It must be acknowledged that there is still a lot of (personal data) out there," during a press conference on Friday, July 25, 2025.
He cited a recent case uncovered by the cyber team of Jakarta Metropolitan Police. The perpetrator was found to have accessed personal data such as Population Identification Numbers (NIK) and Family Cards (KK) on the internet. "The perpetrator was still searching for data on Google, NIK and KK data," said Rafles.
The perpetrator used this personal data to register a SIM card. Subsequently, the perpetrator used the SIM card for fraudulent activities. "Pretending to be someone else," Rafles said.
According to Rafles, this data leakage was possible because the legal framework for data protection was only recently enacted. The Personal Data Protection Law was enacted by the government in 2022 and only came into effect in 2024.
The use of other people's personal data can occur widely without supervision. "At that time, perhaps (accessing other people's personal data) was not a legal violation," Rafles said.
Rafles believes that this data leakage should be a serious concern for the government. "The data spread on the internet must be safeguarded and retrieved by us," Rafles told the press.
The issue of personal data has indeed become a public concern. This is partly due to the government's plan to transfer personal data abroad.
In a joint statement released by the White House, Indonesia is mentioned as being committed to addressing barriers affecting digital trade, services, and investments. "Indonesia will provide certainty regarding the ability to transfer personal data from its territory to the United States, recognizing the U.S. as a country with adequate data protection under Indonesian law," the U.S. government wrote in a statement quoted on Wednesday, July 23, 2025.