Government strengthens right to be forgotten through Human Rights Bill

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The government is strengthening citizens’ digital rights protections by including the concept of the right to be forgotten in the revision of the Human Rights Law. “This is in response to the long-term impact of digital footprints on individuals who have not been proven guilty,” said Human Rights Minister Natalius Pigai in Jakarta on Monday. The right to be forgotten is an individual’s right to request the deletion of their personal electronic data, information, or documents from the internet if they are no longer relevant, inaccurate, or outdated, particularly on search engines. The aim is to protect privacy and reputation, especially from past events that have been resolved. He stated that the regulation is intended to protect citizens from reputational damage due to old news coverage that does not align with legal decisions. He emphasised that this right is primarily granted to individuals who become victims of negative labelling, even though they have not been legally proven to have committed violations. “The right to be forgotten applies to someone who becomes a victim of a bad image due to past media reporting, but it turns out that the person was never guilty or did not commit any wrongdoing; they can request deletion,” he said. Pigai explained that in practice, deletion is not done unilaterally but through a legal mechanism in court to ensure accountability and balance between individual rights and public interest. According to him, this provision is important in the digital era when old information remains stored and easily accessible, even years after a case is resolved or a not guilty verdict is issued. “So, if in court the person is not proven guilty, but the media has already convicted them and it is stored in documents or digitally, it can be deleted,” he said. Pigai added that this regulation is also aimed at protecting victims from negative “framing” practices that do not go through a fair judicial process. “Someone who becomes a victim of negative framing can apply for the deletion of their digital content on social media,” he said. He assessed that strengthening digital rights aspects in the revision of the Human Rights Law is part of adapting regulations to developments in information technology, while ensuring that the principle of justice is maintained in the digital space.