TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, has asserted that there will be no transfer of Indonesian citizens' personal data to the United States. This statement addresses widespread discussion following a joint statement from the U.S. government regarding a trade agreement with Indonesia, which suggested Indonesia would provide certainty on personal data transfer to the U.S.
Airlangga clarified that the clause in the joint statement refers to an agreement between the two countries to create a protocol governing cross-border personal data traffic. The personal data in question, he explained, is data voluntarily provided by individuals when accessing digital applications or platforms.
"For example, when creating an email account, that data is uploaded by the user themselves. And such data is certainly personal data," Airlangga said at a press conference in his Jakarta office on Thursday, July 24, 2025.
Indonesia already has regulations on personal data in the form of Law Number 27 of 2022 concerning Personal Data Protection (UU PDP). Airlangga affirmed that the United States will adhere to the protocol prepared by Indonesia.
He provided an example of an existing protocol established for Nongsa Digital Park in Batam. This area has protocols covering both digital and physical security. For instance, unauthorized individuals are not permitted to enter data centers, and all cables within the data center must meet specific standards to prevent interception.
Furthermore, Airlangga said that the protocol agreed upon between Indonesia and the U.S. will be finalized to become a legitimate, secure, and measurable legal foundation. "This will be a strong legal basis for the protection of Indonesian citizens' personal data when enjoying cross-border services," he said.
Airlangga also noted that 12 U.S. companies are currently establishing data centers in Indonesia, and these companies comply with Indonesian regulations. Some of these include Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, Equinix, and EdgeConneX.
Meanwhile, Minister of Communication and Digital, Meutya Viada Hafid, confirmed that technical discussions regarding personal data management between the two countries will continue. "The government ensures that the transfer of data to the United States is not done arbitrarily," she stated in a written release on Thursday, July 24, 2025.
The Golkar Party politician explained that the transfer or movement of personal data across countries is permissible as long as it serves legitimate, limited, and legally justifiable interests. As examples, Meutya cited data transfer activities when using search engines like Google and Bing.
The joint statement released by the White House indeed mentions Indonesia's commitment to addressing barriers affecting digital trade, services, and investment.
"Indonesia will provide certainty regarding the ability to transfer personal data out of its territory to the United States," the U.S. government wrote on a whitehouse.gov page, as quoted on Wednesday, July 23, 2025.
Alif Ilhan Fajriadi contributed to the writing of this article
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