Lokataru Urges Govt to Harmonize Cybersecurity Policies

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The Lokataru Foundation, an Indonesian civil society organization focused on human rights and public policy advocacy, has urged the government and the House of Representatives to conduct a comprehensive evaluation and harmonize policies before proceeding with deliberations on the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill (RUU KKS).

Speaking at a public discussion in Jakarta on Tuesday, Feb. 17, Hasnu, Lokataru’s research and knowledge manager, said the organization had identified at least 22 fundamental issues in the academic paper and draft bill currently under review.

“These findings are the result of in-depth research and investigation conducted from October 2025 to February 2026,” Hasnu said in a statement received in Jakarta on Wednesday, as quoted by Antara.

He said the draft regulation has the potential to blur the boundary between the cybersecurity regime and the governance of civilian digital space. Such ambiguity, he added, could open the door to an excessive national security approach toward citizens’ activities in the digital sphere.

Hasnu also questioned the urgency behind the bill, saying it is not supported by sufficiently strong arguments. He described the definition of “cybersecurity” in the draft as unclear. “The human rights aspect is placed merely as a cosmetic policy element without clear protection and recovery mechanisms,” he said.

Lokataru also noted the potential for overlap with several existing regulations, including the Electronic Information and Transactions Law, the Banking Law, the Finance Law and personal data protection rules, as well as other national policies, without prior policy harmonization.

Hasnu warned that concentrating authority in a single entity could create conflicts of interest and strengthen the formation of a “super body” without adequate democratic oversight.

Lokataru’s research shows that state spending on cyber technology and systems procurement increased significantly between 2021 and 2024. The total budget allocated for technology and cyber procurement during that period is estimated at around IDR 3,460 trillion.

However, Hasnu said the scale of the budget has not been matched by improvements in digital public services, protection of internet rights, equitable infrastructure development or the handling of repeated data breaches.

“For Lokataru, cybersecurity regulation should not be based solely on threat narratives, but on empirical data, guaranteed budget accountability, and the protection of citizens’ rights as the main foundation,” he said.

The foundation called for a transparent and credible audit of data leak cases involving ministries and public service institutions, accompanied by firm legal accountability.

Lokataru also asked the House to review the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill in the 2026–2027 National Legislation Program (Prolegnas).

In addition, the organization urged President Prabowo Subianto to evaluate cross-agency coordination in cybersecurity governance, including the Coordinating Ministry for Political and Security Affairs, the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs, the National Cyber and Crypto Agency (BSSN), the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police, to prevent overlapping authority.

Hasnu hopes that the Coordinating Ministry for Political and Security Affairs will temporarily halt public outreach on the bill until broader and meaningful public participation is ensured.

The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill was included in the priority list of the 2026 National Legislation Program after the House approved it during a plenary session on September 23, 2025. ***