Protecting Journalists in the Digital Age: A Cross-Jurisdictional Legal Comparison of Indonesia and the Netherlands
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15294/imrev.v4i2.35972Keywords:
Press freedom, doxing, personal data protection.Abstract
This study examines the legal frameworks of Indonesia and the Netherlands in addressing doxing as an emerging threat to press freedom and the protection of journalists’ personal data. Although Indonesia has established several legal instruments, including the Press Law No. 40/1999, the amended Electronic Information and Transactions Law No. 1/2024, and the Personal Data Protection Law No. 27/2022. The existing regulations remain implicit, fragmented, and insufficient in providing legal certainty. Interviews conducted with three journalists from diverse professional backgrounds reveal that legal protection remains predominantly passive, with inadequate law enforcement against actors who perpetrate digital intimidation and attacks on journalists.
In contrast, the Netherlands has adopted a more comprehensive regulatory approach through its constitutional guarantee of freedom of expression, the direct implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the establishment of an independent data protection authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens), and the enactment of a specific anti-doxing law in 2024 that prescribes clear criminal sanctions. Additionally, the PersVeilig protocol demonstrates a more institutionalized mechanism for safeguarding journalists against threats in both physical and digital environments.
Comparative analysis highlights the pressing need for Indonesia to strengthen legal protections for journalists through a more integrated model. This study recommends the development of explicit anti-doxing regulation, the establishment of an independent data protection authority, and the creation of cross-institutional collaboration protocols to ensure the safety of journalists and uphold press freedom in the digital democratic ecosystem.
Downloads
References
“Act of 12 July 2023 Amending the Criminal Code, the BES Criminal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure and the BES Code of Criminal Procedure in Connection with the Criminalization of Obtaining, Distributing or Otherwise Making Available Personal Data for Intimidating Purposes (Criminalization of the Use of Personal Data for Intimidating Purposes).” Ministry of Justice and Security Netherlands, July 28, 2023. https://zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl/stb-2023-274.html.
Aliansi Jurnalis Independen. “AJI Jakarta Kecam Doxing Terhadap Jurnalis Liputan6com.” December 9, 2020. https://aji.or.id/berita-aji/aji-jakarta-kecam-doxing-terhadap-jurnalis-liputan6com.
———. “AJI Malang Kecam Doxing Terhadap Dua Jurnalis Nusadaily.Com.” September 21, 2021. https://aji.or.id/berita-aji/aji-malang-kecam-doxing-terhadap-dua-jurnalis-nusadailycom.
Balqis, Darin Rania, and Zainuddin Muda Z. Monggilo. “Doxing Sebagai Ancaman Baru Jurnalis Online: Menelisik Kasus Doxing Jurnalis Liputan6.Com.” Jurnal Komunikasi 14, no. 2 (February 2024): 133–44. https://doi.org/10.31294/jkom.v14i2.15651.
“Constitution for the Kingdom of the Netherlands, after the Amendment of 2018.” Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, February 28, 2019. https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten/rapporten/2019/02/28/grondwet-voor-het-koninkrijk-der-nederlanden-2018.
“Data Protection in the Netherlands.” DLA Piper, n.d. https://www.dlapiperdataprotection.com/?t=authority&c=NL.
Douglas, David M. “Doxing: A Conceptual Analysis.” Ethics and Information Technology 18, no. 3 (September 2016): 199–210. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10676-016-9406-0.
Dutch News. “Doxing to Become a Criminal Offence Carrying 2-Year Sentence.” December 7, 2023. https://www.dutchnews.nl/2023/07/doxing-to-become-a-criminal-offence-carrying-2-year-sentence/.
“General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).” Https://gdpr.eu/article-4-definitions/, n.d. https://gdpr.eu/article-4-definitions/.
Government of the Netherlands. “Use of Personal Data for the Objective of Harassment to Become Criminal Offence.” December 7, 2023. https://www.government.nl/latest/news/2023/07/12/use-of-personal-data-for-the-objective-of-harassment-to-become-criminal-offence.
Klöters, Remco. “Netherlands Media Law Guide, Defamation and Privacy Law in the Netherlands.” Carter-Ruck, n.d. https://www.carter-ruck.com/law-guides/defamation-and-privacy-law-in-netherlands/.
Mahendra, Khumar. “Dua Jurnalis CNN Indonesia Kena Doxing Usai Liput Aksi Indonesia Gelap, Apa Sanksi Bagi Pelakunya.” Tempo, January 25, 2025. https://www.tempo.co/hukum/dua-jurnalis-cnn-indonesia-kena-doxing-usai-liput-aksi-indonesia-gelap-apa-sanksi-bagi-pelakunya-1212008.
Marsiela, Adi, and Luh De Suriyani. “Panduan Keamanan Digital Untuk Jurnalis.” Aliansi Jurnalis Independen, 2022. https://aji.or.id/data/panduan-keamanan-digital-untuk-jurnalis.
Marzuki, Peter Mahmud. Penelitian hukum. Jakarta: Kencana, 2005.
Media Freedom Rapid Response. “Netherlands: Towards a Safer Haven: Advancing Safety of Journalists amidst Rising Threats in the Netherlands.” February 2022. https://www.ecpmf.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Towards-a-safer-haven-Advancing-safety-of-journalists-amidst-rising-threats-in-the-Netherlands.pdf.
N, Satria Adhi. “Doxing, Bentuk Ancaman Baru Kebebasan Pers.” Universitas Gajah Mada, May 26, 2021. https://ugm.ac.id/id/berita/21170-doxing-bentuk-ancaman-baru-kepada-kebebasan-pers/.
Rambatan, Bonnibel. On the State of Digital Authoritarianism in Indonesia and Its Contradictions. n.d. https://newnaratif.com/on-the-state-of-digital-authoritarianism-in-indonesia/.
Ridwan, Ridwan, and Muhammad Anshar. “Analisis Regulasi Jurnalistik Pada Undang-Undang Pers No. 40 Tahun 1999.” LITERA: Jurnal Ilmiah Mutidisiplin 2, no. 1 (November 2024): 42–61. https://litera-academica.com/ojs/litera/article/view/77.
SAFEnet (Denpasar). “Statement on Digital Repression During the August 2025 Indonesian Protests.” August 31, 2025. https://safenet.or.id/2025/08/statement-on-digital-repression-during-the-august-2025-indonesian-protests/.
Saly, Jeane Neltje, and Tabriz Sulthanah Lubna. “Pelindungan Data Pribadi Dalam Tindakan Doxing Berdasarkan Undang-Undang Nomor 27 Tahun 2022.” Jurnal Kewarganegaraan 7, no. 2 (June 2023): 1708–13.
Sari, Rintan Puspita. “Persekusi Doxing Sebagai Pola Baru Viktimisasi Terhadap Jurnalis Di Indonesia.” Deviance Jurnal Kriminologi 5, no. 1 (June 2021): 68. https://doi.org/10.36080/djk.1139.
Sarjito, Aris. “Hoaks, Disinformasi, Dan Ketahanan Nasional: Ancaman Teknologi Informasi Dalam Masyarakat Digital Indonesia.” Journal of Governance and Local Politics (JGLP) 6, no. 2 (November 2024): 175–86. https://doi.org/10.47650/jglp.v6i2.1547.
Satria, Muhammad Kamarulzaman, and Hadi Yusuf. “Analisis Yuridis Tindakan Kriminal Doxing Ditinjau Berdasarkan Undang Undang Nomor 27 Tahun 2022 Tentang Perlindungan Data Pribadi.” Jurnal Intelek Dan Cendikiawan Nusantara 1, no. 2 (May 2024): 2442–56. https://jicnusantara.com/index.php/jicn/article/view/266.
Soerjono Soekanto. Penelitian Hukum Normatif. 2006.
Sunstein, Cass R. “Lies and Falsehoods.” In Liars, 1st ed., by Cass R. Sunstein, 1–11. Oxford University PressNew York, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197545119.003.0001.
Syailendra, Moody Rizqi, arah Angelina Setiahata Lumban Tobing, Keiko Patricia Liwe, and Hanivah Fitriyani. Studi Kasus Sebuah Ancaman Terhadap Privasi Kasus Doxing Di Indonesia Dalam Perspektif Hukum Dan Etika. 4, no. 4 (August 2024): 32–45.
“The Netherlands.” Centre For Media Pluralism and Media Freedom, n.d. https://cmpf.eui.eu/country/the-netherlands/.
Ufen, Andreas. “The Rise of Digital Repression in Indonesia under Joko Widodo.” GIGA Focus Asia 1 (2024). https://doi.org/10.57671/GFAS-24012.
Utami, Sal Sabila Khoirotunnisa. “Doxing As A Digital Crime: A Human Rights And Privacy Protection Perspective Under Indonesian Law.” Domus Legalis Cogitatio 2, no. 2 (October 2025): 147–64. https://doi.org/10.24002/dlc.v2i2.9912.
Published
Article ID
35972Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Chanidia A. Rahmayani, Cahya Wulandari, Mutmainah Nur Qoiri, Winarsih, Nauli Pinorsinta Pasaribu, Jennifer Margareth Uliana Sianipar (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
All writings published in this journal are the personal views of the authors and do not represent the views of this journal and the author's affiliated institutions. Author(s) retain copyrights under the license of Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).
