Minister Meutya: Recording Content Without Consent Violates Personal Data Protection Law

Minister of Communication and Digital Meutya Hafid has stated that content creators who record videos without the consent of the individuals involved are in violation of the Personal Data Protection Law.

This refers to a recent incident widely discussed on social media platform Threads regarding the behaviour of content creator Ebem Martono, who recorded ushers at the 2026 Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show without their consent using smart glasses.

‘Regarding the recording without permission of a woman, we have also received a lot of input. In principle, we really need to remind everyone that this is a violation of the PDP Law, firstly, and secondly, a violation of ethics,’ Meutya said at the Ministry of Communication and Digital office in Central Jakarta on Monday.

Therefore, the recording of faces without permission by content creators can constitute a breach of applicable regulations in Indonesia. In the case of content creator Ebem Martono, several of the ushers who were recorded requested that the related content be deleted, but instead received threats of extortion from the creator under the pretext of reimbursing production costs for content that the ushers had not even approved.

The content creator’s actions drew a strong reaction from netizens, who deplored the incident and supported the ushers in taking the case to legal channels. The Minister assessed that even if the content creator argued the video was taken in a public space, it still violated the provisions of the PDP Law.

‘So no one is allowed to record without permission, even in the public domain. This case is more or less the same as the discomfort expressed by people, for example, who are exercising on public roads and then recorded without permission. So we will treat this as the same,’ Meutya said.

‘In the framework of protecting not only women, but especially women and children. This activity of recording without permission must be stopped,’ she added.

To maintain a safe and comfortable digital space for vulnerable groups such as women and children, the Minister stated that her ministry, through the Directorate General of Digital Space Supervision, continues to open complaint channels so that content causing unrest, violating rules, or posing a danger can be followed up in accordance with applicable regulations.

‘At the Ministry of Communication and Digital, we will forward this to the Directorate General of Digital Space Supervision to take measured steps to resolve this issue,’ Meutya concluded.