Evaluation of Electronic Information and Transaction
in the Perspective of Criminal Enforcement in Indonesia
Suwarto, Muhammad Ardian and Anwar Saragih
Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia
Keywords: Ciminal Law, Electronic Transactions, Electronic Communication, Rubber Article.
Abstract: This progressing technology is marked by the birth of a variety of social media, such as; Facebook (2004),
Twitter (2006), Whatsaap (2009), Path (2010) and Instagram (2010) as an inseparable part of the development
of internetization in various parts of the world. In order to protect consumers (the public) in the use of
technology through the plenary session of the Indonesian Parliament ratified the ITE Bill into law, namely
Law Number 11 of 2008 and revised again in 2016 with the birth of Law Number 19 of 2016 concerning
Information and Electronic Transactions (ITE Law). 10 years since the ITE Law was passed, according to
data released by the Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network (SAFEnet) until October 2018 there
have been 245 cases reported in Indonesia. North Sumatra is one of the areas where many people are entangled
in the ITE Law, which are 12 cases. The problem is the duplication of criminal acts regulated in the ITE Law
also contained in the criminal provisions in the Criminal Code (KUHP), namely Article 156 of the Criminal
Code concerning hatred and contempt for race, country of origin, religion, place, origin, descent, nationality
or position according to state law with the threat of 5 years imprisonment as well as Article 310 of the Criminal
Code and Article 311 of the Criminal Code concerning defamation with the threat of 5 years imprisonment
which makes this law inclined towards the rubber article. The research method is qualitative with a normative
juridical approach with observation as primary data and international and national journals and books as
secondary data triangulated data to those considered representative in answering this issue. The research
output is expected to be an international journal, international proceedings and textbooks for students.
1 INTRODUCTION
The development of information and communication
is growing rapidly along with advances in technology
and science. This progressing technology is marked
by the birth of a variety of social media, such as;
Facebook (2004), Twitter (2006), Whatsaap (2009),
Path (2010) and Instagram (2010) as an inseparable
part of the development of internetization in various
parts of the world (Siddiqui and Tajinder Singh, 2015:
71-75), including Indonesia. The impact of this
digitalization era has resulted in a shift in community
activities from the real world to the virtual world.
Mainly the activities of individual people who share
(share) their daily activities, discuss, communicate
with friends to become a container in conducting
criticism of government policy (Ghulam, et al., 2014).
Seeing this phenomenon in March 2003, through
the State Ministry of Communication and
Information (Communication and Information), the
Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of
Industry and Trade began to form teams and
collaborate with campuses in an effort to draft the
Draft Law on Electronic Information Transactions.
The spirit is all activities that are electronic and occur
in cyberspace which began to be out of control can
protect consumers (the public) in the use of
technology (Juwenie, 2016). Not only that, legal
certainty related to electronic transaction activities
was also considered important at that time. In an
effort to encourage economic growth due to the sale
and purchase of goods transactions until the business
began to shift from manual activities to the internet.
Until March 25, 2008, through a plenary session of
the Indonesian Parliament passed the ITE Bill into
law, namely Law Number 11 of 2008 and revised
again in 2016 with the birth of Law Number 19 of
2016 concerning Information and Electronic
Transactions (ITE Law ).
Empirically, in the 10 years since the enactment
of the ITE Law, according to data released by the
Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network
Suwarto, ., Ardian, M. and Saragih, A.
Evaluation of Electronic Information and Transaction in the Perspective of Criminal Enforcement in Indonesia.
DOI: 10.5220/0010119404330437
In Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Social and Political Development (ICOSOP 3 2019) - Social Engineering Governance for the People, Technology and Infrastructure in
Revolution Industry 4.0, pages 433-437
ISBN: 978-989-758-472-5
Copyright
c
2020 by SCITEPRESS Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved
433
(SAFEnet) until October 2018 there have been 245
cases reported in Indonesia. Where almost 49.72
percent of them were snared by the complaint of
defamation of the rest of the good name related to the
expression of hatred and blasphemy (Tempo, 29
November 2018). If we rearrange the regions which
have the most reports related to ITE Law issues,
namely DKI Jakarta (88 cases), East Java (22 cases),
Central Java (16 cases), West Java (15 cases), NTB
(14 cases) and Sumatra North (12 cases), the
remainder of which is spread throughout Indonesia
(data from SAFEnet 2018)
Furthermore, the articles in the ITE Law that are
often used to prosecute such cases are Article 27
paragraph 3 regarding defamation and / or
defamation. Article 28 paragraph (3) juncto Article
45 paragraph (2) of the ITE Law related to the spread
of SARA-based hatred then Article 28 paragraph 2
juncto Article 45 paragraph 2 of Law Number 11
Year 2008 concerning Information and Electronic
Transactions (ITE) due to deliberate or without the
right to disseminate misleading information and
article 29 paragraph (1) concerning Extortion and
Threats (Lubis and Maulana, 2010: 13-20)
The problem is the duplication of criminal acts
stipulated in the ITE Law also contained in criminal
provisions in the Law Code of Law Criminal Code
(KUHP), namely Article 156 of the Criminal Code
concerning hatred and contempt for race, country of
origin, religion, place, origin, ancestry, nationality or
position according to state law with the threat of 5
years imprisonment and Article 310 of the Criminal
Code and Article 311 of the Criminal Code
concerning defamation with the threat of
imprisonment of 5 years (Moeljatno, 2007: 23)
Herein lies the problem where legal translation is
vulnerable to multiple interpretations. Because the
position of expert witnesses is very influential on the
interpretation of violations of the ITE Law which is
also contained in the Criminal Code (KUHP). This
multi-interpretation article has the potential to be
misused to threaten freedom of expression because it
depends on the opinion of expert witnesses in court.
This condition certainly has the potential to impede
the freedom of expression of citizens regulated in
article 28 of the 1945 Constitution concerning
freedom of opinion. Therefore, a study entitled
"Evaluation of the Information and Electronic
Transaction Law (ITE) in the Perspective of Criminal
Law Enforcement in Indonesia" needs to be done for
the sake of improving the law in Indonesia.
2 METHOD
This research is a qualitative research with a critical
paradigm. The researcher collected data using the
observation method as primary data. Then secondary
data from interviews, international journals of books,
and media coverage. Collecting research data is then
carried out through a review of documents or reports
relating to the focus of research relating to the law,
information law and electronic transactions and
criminal law in Indonesia. Furthermore, the results of
this study are then triangulated.
3 RESULT
3.1 The Process of Internetzation in
Indonesia
The development of the internet has had an impact on
changes in the political, economic, social and cultural
fields. One of the developments in science and
technology that is progressing very rapidly is the
development in the field of information technology.
This is marked by the birth of the internet, which is
scientifically referred to as cyberspace.
Linked to the internationalization of the
sovereignty dimension of the state, it then expands,
which no longer consists of land, sea, and air-space,
but also virtual space. Ter-virtual space image of the
Internet has created a new legal regime, known as
Internet law (the law of the internet), law-virtual
space (cyberspace law), or the telecommunications
law. Thanks to the internet, information exchange
takes place faster and faster. The internet and its
supporting technological devices seem to want and
have made the world almost. Beware of the growing
internet technology and the number of users, the
Government of Indonesia through the Ministry of
Communication and Information has prepared a
number of regulations to regulate various types and
models of information. One of them is the Law of the
Republic of Indonesia Number 11 Year 2008
concerning Information and Electronic Transactions
(UU ITE). The ITE Law, in addition to being a sign
of changing orientation, models and information
systems in Indonesia, also marks the return of state
restrictions on information, including information
received through the internet (Atmajan, 2014).
According to Zain Noval, Head of Medan City
Information and Communication Office:
"Social media is an online media where users can
engage in various activities including
communicating with each other, seeking
ICOSOP 3 2019 - International Conference on Social Political Development (ICOSOP) 3
434
information, and adding new friends, with all the
features it has. Communication in social media
becomes very easy because communicating using
social media is no longer limited by distance, time,
and space. Communication can occur anywhere,
anytime, and even without having to meet face to
face. "
This means that the use of massive
communication technology can be found in various
places and situations, we can easily meet people who
are interacting with other parties who are connected
through its gadgets. In the domestic sphere, from the
living room to the bedroom, communication
technology is scattered side by side with human life.
The more prominent the role of communication
technology in our midst, it can be seen clearly that
lifestyle changes that occur apply in almost all circles,
children, adolescents and adults.
3.2 Law in Indonesia
Law enforcement in Indonesia has difficulty in
dealing with the phenomenon of electronic crime
(cybercrime). This is because there are still very few
law enforcement officers who understand the ins and
outs of information technology (internet). Then, law
enforcement officials in the regions were not ready to
anticipate the rise of this crime because there are still
many law enforcement officials who have not been
literate about technology. Then there are still many
law enforcement institutions in the regions that are
not yet supported by the Internet network.
Throughout 2018 there were 292 cases related to the
ITE Law. This number has doubled compared to the
previous year with a total of 140 cases. Defamation is
the most favorite criminal case with 149 cases.
Followed by hate speech cases with 81 cases. The
case of violating decency was in third place with 71
cases. As many as 35.92 percent of people who
reported cases of the ITE Law were state officials,
including regional heads, agency / department heads,
ministers, and security forces. Lay reporters
accounted for 32.24 percent (Kominfo 2019) The
Articles in the ITE Law that are often used to
prosecute such cases are Article 27 paragraph 3
regarding defamation and/or defamation. Article 28
paragraph (3) juncto Article 45 paragraph (2) of the
ITE Law relating to the spread of SARA-based hatred
then Article 28 paragraph 2 juncto Article 45
paragraph 2 of Law Number 11 Year 2008
concerning Information and Electronic Transactions
(ITE) because it was intentional or without the right
to spread misleading information and article 29
paragraph (1) concerning Extortion and Threats
(Lubis and Maulana, 2010: 13-20).
The problem is the duplication of criminal acts
regulated in the ITE Law is also contained in the
criminal provisions in the Criminal Code (KUHP),
namely Article 156 of the Criminal Code concerning
hatred and contempt for race, country of origin,
religion, place, origin, ancestry, nationality or
position according to the constitutional law with the
threat of imprisonment for 5 years as well as Article
310 of the Criminal Code and Article 311 of the
Criminal Code concerning defamation with the threat
of imprisonment of 5 years (Moeljatno, 2007: 23)
Herein lies the problem where the legal translation is
vulnerable to multiple interpretations. Because the
position of expert witnesses is very influential on the
interpretation of violations of the ITE Law which is
also contained in the Criminal Code (KUHP). This
multi-interpretation article has the potential to be
misused to threaten freedom of expression because it
depends on the opinion of expert witnesses in court.
This condition certainly has the potential to impede
the freedom of expression of citizens regulated in
article 28 of the 1945 Constitution concerning
freedom of opinion.
3.3 Revision of the ITE Law
The birth of the ITE Law cannot be avoided from the
protest movement of social media users throughout
Indonesia. Especially in the defamation article which
invited strong reactions from netizens who felt that
their freedom of opinion on social media was limited
and unsettled by various 'victims' who reported using
ITE Law article 27 paragraph 3. Therefore, detainees
must monitor their own behavior as if they are being
watched. Even though social media users are not
being directly monitored, these controls are
internalized by each individual social media user to
discipline themselves through cyber bodies.
Specifically, there are a number of articles of Law
Number 19 of 2016 concerning Information and
Electronic Transactions (UU ITE), namely 27
paragraph (1) and paragraph (3), article 28 paragraph
(2), and article 29 of the ITE Law (PDF). In addition,
the reporter also ensnared the reported party with
article 156 of the Criminal Code and articles 310-311
of the Criminal Code. The most widely used article is
27 paragraph 3 related to defamation.
Technically there are duplications in the laws that
appear in article 349 paragraph (1) of the Criminal
Code Bill and article 28 paragraph 2 of the ITE Law.
Article 349 paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code Bill
reads:
"Everyone who broadcasts, displays, attaches
writings or pictures, or plays a recording, including
Evaluation of Electronic Information and Transaction in the Perspective of Criminal Enforcement in Indonesia
435
disseminating through information technology
facilities that contain criminal offenses as referred
to in Article 348, with the intention that the contents
of the writing, the image or recording is known or
better known to the public, sentenced to a
maximum imprisonment of five years (..) ".
This is duplicated with Article 28 paragraph 2 of
the ITE Law reads: "Everyone intentionally and
without the right to disseminate information intended
to incite hatred or hostility of certain individuals and
/ or groups of people based on ethnicity, religion,
race and intergroup (SARA) "
Furthermore, this situation also occurred on
December 19, 2016, MUI Tanjungbalai City held a
meeting and decided to request a fatwa from the
North Sumatra Province MUI DP, for blasphemy of
the religion. On January 4, 2018, the MUI Fatwa
Commission of North Sumatra Province produced a
fatwa containing legal provisions, namely the Adhan
that was announced in the Mosque is the Islamic
Sharia which was announced as a sign of entry in
prayer times and/or ordered Muslims to perform
prayers.
This was explained by the Tanjung Balai Sukiman
community leader who explained:
"The delivered by Meliana for the call to prayer
coming from the Al-Maksum Mosque Jalan Karya
Kota Tanjungbalai are considered as blasphemy
against an Islamic religion."
Words This means that in the case of Meliana in
accordance with the rules and regulations the
applicable invitation imposed is a Criminal Code
article which is also contained in the ITE Law until
Meiliana was sentenced to 1 year 5 months in prison.
4 CONCLUSION
The presence of the internet as a form of
technological development in the field of
communication is a matter that is familiar to modern
society in Indonesia. Previously, internet technology
was only used to send electronic messages via email
and chat, but it was also often used to search for
information through browsing. But along with the
times, the internet is able to give birth to a new
network commonly known as social media.
Based on this situation it is concluded that the
policy efforts in the formulation of the ITE Law in the
future must be made for legal certainty. The
importance of setting limits, juridical qualifications
and regarding what is meant by criminal defamation
and what acts are the reasons for justifying a criminal
defamation based on comparative study Ideas for
formulating renewal of criminal acts both in the
future, both in the revision of the Act ITE is expected
to no longer harm community rights. This is where
the role of law as a bridge to cause the principle of
usefulness and justice for the community to protect
the right to freedom of opinion and expression in
terms of delivering fair comments, criticism and
public opinion.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thank to the Research Institute of the University of
North Sumatra with the Contract Number: 4167 /
UN5.1.R / PPM / 2019, dated April 1, 2019 for
providing research funding so that this research can
be carried out and published.
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