Parliament should recommence deliberations on cybersecurity bill: MP

The Indonesian House of Representatives’ (DPR RI’s) Commission I member Sukamta has urged the parliament to restart deliberations for the Cybersecurity and Resilience Bill after the National Cyber and Crypto Agency (BSSN) website was recently hacked.

“The DPR had deliberated on the bill during the last legislative term, yet it was unfinished, as issues on the draft were left unresolved until the legislative term ended,” Sukamta remarked in his statement here on Tuesday.

Deliberations on the cybersecurity bill are deemed urgent in the wake of a rising trend in the number of cases of government website hacking and data leak, he emphasized.

“The BSSN website hacking showed us that the institution that ought to provide security and defence for our cyber system instead fell victim to the criminals. The recent cases of data leak on the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) database and President Jokowi’s personal ID number also reminded us of the importance of the bill,” Sukamta stated.

The DPR member reiterated the importance of cybersecurity in public institutions, as the system will be audited annually, and the BSSN should be able to assist the cybersecurity system updates to tackle possible cyberattacks.

“The cybersecurity law will provide a legal basis for the BSSN to conduct its duty more effectively,” the Commission I member stated.

Apart from the cybersecurity bill, deliberations for the Personal Data Protection Bill are ongoing, as both bills are equally important and complement each other to maintain personal data and cybersecurity in Indonesia, he informed.

Despite the bill’s importance, deliberations for the data protection bill are currently stalled, as the government and parliament are not on the same page regarding the proposed data protection authority regulated in the bill.

“The DPR demands an independent authority, while the government insists for the authority to be subordinate to the Communications and Informatics Ministry. What is important right now is to pass the bill first to allow us to continue to the cybersecurity bill,” Sukamta stated.

 

Source: Antara News