Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Center for Indonesian Policy Studies (CIPS) researcher,Trissia Wijaya, highlighted the importance of formation of an independent personal data monitoring institution as mandatedunder the Personal Data Protection Law."The institution will monitor public service data managers administered by the government and also private service data managers," she noted through a statement on Tuesday. The CIPS' head of economic opportunities remarked that the existence of a personal data management protection agency that is free from the influence of any institution is crucial and cannot be set aside. ccording to Wijaya, the presence of the institution not only encourages public trust in the government and mitigates the risk of cybercrimes but it also provides legal certainty to stakeholders, including businesses. Through the provision of this legal certainty, the effort to meet the minimum standard for cross-border data flow can be more consistent and be managed optimally. An independent institution can also drive healthier competition between businesspersons. Moreover, independence of the institution should also be taken into account since it needs to be free from the influence of any institutions. This is because those behind personal data violation could be individuals, private companies, or the government. "The existence of an independent personal data monitoring institution is intended to improve the public's trust and confidence in the government, especially with the prevalence of illegal scammers, data breaches, and so on," she noted. She also deemed that the ratification of the Personal Data Protection Law amid the rise of digitalization and penetration of digital technology in every aspect of society is a positive step forward. Earlier, the suggestion concerning an independent monitoring agency that answers directly to the president emerged during the discussion on the Personal Data Protection Law. The issue of personal data protection became a topic of discussion when one of the national sharia banks in Indonesia was suspected to have experienced a cyberattack, with the intent of stealing customers' data.

Source: Antara News Agency