Indonesia has the capability to facilitate discussions on the issue of cross-border data flows during its G20 Presidency, the Communication and Informatics Ministry has informed.
"In the DEWG G20, (it involved) discussion to reach a definition of trust and put forward four general principles, which include transparency, legitimacy, fairness, and reciprocity," director of digital economy at the ministry’s Directorate General of Information Applications, I Nyoman Adhiarna, said at a webinar on 'Digitalization, Data Governance, and Cross-border Data Flows' on Thursday.
Indonesia is also pursuing deliberations on the future of interoperability and other operational practices regarding the flow of data across countries, and is trying to address issues pertaining to data protection, privacy, security, and intellectual property rights, he informed.
"And during Indonesia's G20 Presidency, we anticipate a number of challenges in conducting discussions on the issue of reliable free flow of data...This (topic) is one that was often debated by every G20 member country who supports discussions on this issue," Adhiarna said.
The issues discussed include the possibility of some countries seeking a better chance to maintain their preferred domestic policy framework given the development of the digital economy, he added.
Other than that, some countries might be reluctant to support discussions on data flow principles or best data security practices, and may have yet to formulate policies that are consistent with the idea of reliable free flow of data.
He said that reliable or trustworthy cross-border data flow or data free-flow is very important for the development of the global digital economy.
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According to the data he had collected, the use of data flows and digitization processes has boosted productivity and contributed significantly to the gross domestic product, by US$4.5 billion and US$34.5 billion, respectively, in the retail and manufacturing sectors.
Each 10 percent increase in bilateral connectivity translated into a more than 3.1-percent growth in the trade and service sector, he added.
He disclosed that during the G20 DEWG, Indonesia was open for discussions with the Engagement Group and other Working Groups.
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