Pigai Proposes Inclusion of Right to Erase Digital Footprint in Human Rights Bill

The government of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, through Minister of Human Rights Natalius Pigai, has proposed the right to be forgotten in the second amendment revision of Law Number 39 of 1999 on Human Rights. Pigai explained that the right to be forgotten could take the form of the right to erase digital footprints or the “right to be forgotten”. “The Minister of Human Rights of the Republic of Indonesia proposes the inclusion of the right to erase digital footprints or the right to be forgotten in the draft revision of the Human Rights Law,” Pigai stated in his remarks on Tuesday (5/5). Pigai explained that the right to be forgotten is necessary to restore the rights of individuals who have been ruled not guilty. Thus, court decisions could be used to erase all negative digital traces related to the individual. “This step is taken to restore the dignity of citizens who have not been proven guilty in court but have already become victims of negative media or public framing in the past,” Pigai said. Previously, several DPR members have urged the immediate revision of the Human Rights Law, deeming it no longer relevant since it was drafted and approved in 1999. Member of Commission XIII of the DPR, Rieke Diah Pitaloka, explained that updating the Human Rights Law is a serious test for Indonesia’s position on the international stage. This is especially so given Indonesia’s current status as President of the UN Human Rights Council. She proposed several points for amendment, including strengthening the state’s obligations, including business actors as subjects of human rights law, enhancing victim recovery mechanisms, and integrating digital human rights protections. “The 1999 Human Rights Law has not fully adopted recent developments, such as the business due diligence principle and human rights protection in the digital space,” she said.