JakartaPost-May 8, 2026
The Human Rights Ministry has proposed to include a “right to be forgotten” provision in the revision of the Human Rights Law, which was met with concern from experts over potential misuse to erase public records and undermine the public right to information. The right is intended to protect individuals who face public stigma from an ongoing prosecution, but are later found innocent in court, according to Human Rights Minister Natalius Pigai. The proposed mechanism would allow individuals to file a petition with a court asking for the removal of incriminating records from a digital platform. Should the court rule in favor of the plaintiff, the platform would delete content considered as “negative framing” against the individual, Pigai said. “For example, someone was once suspected of committing crime but is later proven innocent by the court, even though they had already been judged by the public through media reports,” the minister said during a press briefing on Monday. “Under the provision, that person may request the deletion of the digital footprint that still appears five or 10 years after then through formal legal channels,” he went on to say. The right to be forgotten has been commonly recognized in several jurisdictions, such as the European Union. Indonesia has already regulated the concept in the 2016 revision of the Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law, allowing individuals to seek the removal of digital records containing damning claims through court. Pigai’s proposal has raised questions over the purpose and implication of including such a right to the revision of the 1999 law, as observers noted the vague definitions of what constitutes information that can be erased under the provision. Without strict limitations, the provision could be exploited by public officials seeking to erase controversial records, businesses attempting to remove reports of wrongdoing or politicians looking to clean their track records ahead of elections, said cybersecurity expert Alfons Tanujaya.
“In the EU, where its right to be forgotten enforcement is far better equipped compared to Indonesia, many deletion requests come from individuals with adverse records,” Alfons said. “That is why the right to be forgotten can potentially conflict with the collective rights of society in accessing important information.” Read more at:
