By Hafiz Noer and M. Irfan Dwi Putra of the Center for Digital Society, Universitas Gadjah Mada

Indonesia saw notable regulatory updates in technology governance during the first half of 2025. These developments are largely driven by the government’s focus on institutional restructuring and the adjustment to new organisational and operational procedures under the new administration. The transition, including the renaming of the Ministry of Communication and Informatics to the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi), has shifted policy attention inward toward strengthening institutional capacity and alignment.

Key Governance and Policy Trends

• Embedding Child Protection into Platform RegulationThe first is child protection in the digital environment, marked by the issuance of Government Regulation No. 17 of 2025 (hereinafter referred to as PP Tunas). This regulation imposes obligations for Electronic System Providers (ESPs) to implement child-safe digital governance. The implementation of this regulation signifies an important step forward in strengthening platform regulation and improving digital trust and safety.

Under PP Tunas, ESPs are required to implement policies and technical measures to ensure that the features, products, and services they provide prioritise the protection of children. The regulation covers several key aspects, including age verification requirements,  parental consent, classification of features, products, and services based on risk categories, high-privacy default settings, and the obligation for ESPs to educate and empower the wider digital ecosystem.

Although PP Tunas is considered as a comprehensive regulation, several aspects may hinder its implementation and require further clarification through implementing regulations. One notable gap lies in the absence of clear technical mechanisms for age verification and parental consent. While PP Tunas obliges ESPs to establish procedures for verifying child users, it does not specify how these mechanisms should be carried out, thereby leaving room for varying approaches in determining the age eligibility of children to access digital features, products, and services.

As with age verification, the technical procedures for obtaining parental consent vary considerably, and each method presents its own challenges. Common approaches include self-declaration, email verification sent to a parent’s address, telephone confirmation, or even video calls. However, it is important to recognise that not all parents in Indonesia have access to the internet or electronic systems, and many have limited levels of digital literacy. Therefore, a one-size-fits-all solution for obtaining parental consent is neither practical nor effective. To ensure effective implementation of age verification and parental consent, it is therefore essential for the government to issue more detailed and practical guidelines.

Expanding AI Policy and Talent Development

• In August 2025, the Directorate of Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology Ecosystems released two drafts on AI policies for Indonesia: the National AI Roadmap White Paper and the AI Ethics Guidelines Draft. The White Paper frames AI as a vital enabler for accelerating economic growth and advancing national priority programmes. It sets out Indonesia’s ambition to build a sovereign AI ecosystem structured around several pillars: ethics, policy, infrastructure and data, industrial research and innovation, talent development, investment and financing, and use cases. Meanwhile, the second document sets out the AI ethics guidelines draft, building upon the Circular Letter on AI Ethics issued at the end of 2023. Both documents are currently in the process of submission to be enacted as presidential regulations.
• Another initiative is an acceleration of AI talent development coordinated by the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Cultural Affairs. The coordinating ministry pursues working frameworks of talent development; that is AI for All that targets the general public, AI for Many that nurtures potential AI developers, and AI for Few that targets advanced developers and policymakers. Several programmes to support this framework are currently being prepared.

• On the other hand, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has issued ministerial regulation integrating coding and AI subjects into the national primary and secondary school curriculum. This initiative is expected to accelerate the development of high-calibre AI talent in support of a sovereign AI ecosystem. Altogether, these initiatives indicate a strategic approach to safeguarding national interests amid rapid technological advancements; however, risks of sporadic initiatives by each ministry may hamper AI policy integration.

Building a Resilient Digital Government

• The third area is digital transformation in the public sector, with the objective of building a resilient digital government ecosystem. Indonesia is working on its digital transformation efforts in the public sector through both institutional reform and legal updates. A significant institutional change is the formation of the Directorate General of Digital Government Technology within the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs, which is tasked for overseeing the adoption, standardisation, and development of digital government applications and infrastructure.

This is followed by supporting legal frameworks aimed at improving the procedural and security frameworks of Indonesia’s e-government system. Among the regulations is the Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs Regulation No. 5 of 2025 on the Public Electronic System Providers (ESPs), which ensures safe, reliable, and trustworthy operations of electronic systems within the public domain. Key provisions include mandatory system registration, content governance and moderation, access blocking for prohibited content, management of government domain names, and risk-based data classification by public ESPs.

• In terms of security, the National Cyber and Encryption Agency (BSSN) issued National Cyber and Crypto Agency Regulation No. 5 of 2025 on the Roadmap for the Protection of Vital Information Infrastructure in the Government Administration Sector. This roadmap serves as a strategic guide to strengthen cybersecurity efforts across essential public services, particularly in vital information infrastructure. Other regulations that support digital governance are Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs Regulation No. 6 of 2025 on the Technical Standards and Procedures for the Establishment and Development of E-Government Application and National Cyber and Crypto Agency Regulation No. 1 of 2025 on the Organization and Work Procedures of the Digital Identity Liaison Service Center.

Through these institutional changes and regulatory developments, Indonesia is trying to build a more comprehensive governance framework for its digital government, focusing on both interoperability and security.

Looking Ahead: On the Direction of Evolution

Indonesia enters 2025 with a more robust and consolidated tech governance landscape, though several gaps remain. Child protection in the digital sphere gains a regulatory anchor through PP Tunas, yet the lack of clear technical standards may lead to weak enforcement. With the forthcoming legalisation of the AI Roadmap and the involvement of diverse policies in its committee, there is a growing need for centralised coordination to avoid duplication, overlap, and ensure strategic alignment with the Roadmap’s objectives. As in other areas of Indonesia’s digital ecosystem, coordination and policy alignment across institutions remain critical challenges. Without stronger inter-agency collaboration and infrastructure support, digital transformation efforts may risk fragmentation and uneven implementation. The trajectory is strategic, but caution is warranted. Foundational frameworks are being established at this stage; however, risks of disintegration and weak policy enforcement persist.