Government to Appoint 'Referee' for Citizen Data, Reveals Digital Ministry Leak
The government is finalising the establishment of a Personal Data Protection authority. The ‘referee’, mandated by the Personal Data Protection Law (UU PDP), will work independently and is targeted to soon have a legal basis through a Presidential Regulation (Perpres).
Deputy Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs Nezar Patria stated that the institution is projected not to be under the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi), but will carry out its reporting mechanism to the President through Komdigi. “This Personal Data Protection agency will work independently with its entire structure, but all its reports are addressed to the president through the Ministry of Komdigi,” Nezar said in a written statement on Friday (23/7/2026).
Nezar explained that the drafting of the Perpres is targeted for completion within approximately the next two months. The government is also finalising a Presidential Regulation on the National AI Roadmap. Both regulations are being prepared in parallel as the foundation for artificial intelligence (AI) governance in Indonesia.
“The foundation of AI governance rests on two main aspects, namely AI ethics and personal data protection. Therefore, the drafting of these two Presidential Regulations is being carried out simultaneously so that Indonesia has a regulatory framework capable of encouraging innovation while providing protection to the public,” he said.
Nezar stressed that the government wants AI regulations that are adaptive to technological developments and do not hinder innovation. “We are open to all AI initiatives and innovations to be developed in Indonesia. The National AI Roadmap is designed to support that innovation, not limit it,” he stated.
He explained that the government will implement a risk-based regulatory approach in AI governance. Under this approach, every AI product will be classified based on its risk level, ranging from low, medium, to high risk. “Our focus is AI risk mitigation. AI products with high risk will naturally be regulated more comprehensively than low-risk products. This way, innovation can continue to grow without neglecting aspects of security, ethics, and public protection,” he clarified.
In addition to preparing regulations, the government is also continuously strengthening the national AI ecosystem through the development of digital infrastructure, data centres, increased computing capacity, and digital talent development.