Ministry of Communications and Informatics will raise the priority issue of Cross Border Data Flow and Data Free Flow with Trust or Reliable Data Flow and Free Flow in the Digital Economy Working Group (DEWG) in the G20 Indonesia Presidency. To answer the challenges of managing cross-border data flow policies, which have a different approach for each country, Indonesia will facilitate dialogue in the G20 forum to build a common understanding.
Amid complexity, each country will have different perspectives in managing data. However, the arrangement will tend to be uniform. This becomes more complex when we talk across countries because the settings may differ. Across jurisdictions, the data treatment may differ. So when we talk about being in certain jurisdictions, for example, we are measuring data in Indonesia, although the issues are complex, the arrangements are uniform.
– Mira Tayyiba, Secretary-General, Ministry of Communications and Informatics
In various international forums, Indonesia always puts forward four principles, namely lawfulness, fairness, transparency, and reciprocity. In the DEWG, these four principles are the basis for discussion by G20 member countries regarding data management. Indonesia supports that the discussion of this topic is carried out dynamically, open to various points of view, and based on mutual understanding.
All data must be managed properly to have a benefit. The Secretary-General of the Ministry of Communication and Informatics also emphasised that data managed privately by platform providers is different from data managed by the Government. The increase in the intensity of the use of digital space has also resulted in more and more naturally occurring data. This is the consequence of our activities in the digital space. If the data is managed properly, it will have immense benefits.
The discussion of data will be more complex when it comes to data traffic between countries. Because digital technology is borderless, it means that digital data can flow between countries. This becomes more complex when it comes to cross-border data flows, because each jurisdiction may have different data management procedures. This difference is a natural thing because digital technology is borderless, meaning it can flow between countries. It is different when we talk about data in certain jurisdictions, for example, when we measure data still in Indonesia. The issues are complex, but the arrangements are uniform.
Therefore, the Government of Indonesia took concrete steps to discuss data governance which for some audiences is a complex issue. Through DEWG, Indonesia is optimistic that it can facilitate a constructive, productive and inclusive dialogue related to data governance. It is hoped that the existing discussion can be a starting point for a more comprehensive discussion related to global data governance.
As reported by OpenGov Asia, Indonesia has one of the world’s highest percentages of internet users. Nonetheless, when compared to other Asian countries, it has a low internet penetration rate. In 2021, mobile internet penetration in Indonesia is expected to be 68%. Its reach is expected to increase to 79% by 2025. The penetration rate is the proportion of the total population that has internet access via a mobile broadband connection.
With increasing mobile internet penetration in the country, there has been an increase in demand for lower data prices, greater coverage, and better service quality. As a key strategy to attract more customers, Indonesian internet providers have proposed attractive data pricing plans as well as optimised data-oriented mobile services. Moreover, on the popularity of mobile internet, fixed broadband subscriptions in Indonesia have been increasing in recent years. As a result, broadband penetration rates among households in the country have increased.
