- 22/04/2020
- Category: Commentaries
Government through Indonesia Ministry of Communication and Information Technology have just designated a ministerial decree on ‘Keputusan Menteri Kominfo No 159 Tahun 2020’ to establish a tracing, tracking, and fencing act through infrastructure, system and telecommunication application in supporting health surveillance related to the spread of pandemic, COVID-19. The surveillance support mentioned is meant to collect, process, analyze, and disseminate data in Positive COVID-19 patient smartphone, this action meant not only to enable the government on giving emergency management to the patient but also to trace, track, and fence the people who have been interacted with the positive patient in the last 14 days[i]. ‘Peduli Lindungi’ is established to provide the positive patient and its surrounding with various information related to the position and location of the person under monitor (Orang Dalam Pemantauan/ODP) and patient under monitor (Pasien Dalam Pemantauan/PDP) nearby the user of the application; education related to the symptoms of COVID-19 and all the preventive action to be taken; and warning system not only in a situation where there exist person on ODP and PDP in close range but also to implement the physical distancing practice for the user of the application to hinder crowd, mass, and other possible close-ranged interaction by using Bluetooth device.
Similar mobile application has also been created in other impacted countries such as Singapore, China, and South Korea. However, the development of this media as an instrument to inform, educate and warn its people in those countries have been more developed by looking from the features, amount of users and utilization rate of this mobile application in those countries. Singapore government’s app called ‘Trace Together’ has been successfully implemented the strategy being shown from its amount of users that counted for more than 650.000 Singapore population with a proper socialization process by the government[ii] .A coordination between Singapore government institution in Government Technology Agency, SG United (Social Agency) and Ministry of Health have been established a robust framework and guidelines to this mobile application, not only based on its features but also related to the data protection and privacy of its users mentioned in the framework. South Korea has also developed a similar application to help the surveillance act by the government and also function as a preventive strategy to hinder another flaring wave of this pandemic to be infected among its community. China as the country who developed this application in the prior time have successfully implemented and established the framework of this mobile application to be vividly used in its societies for tracking and tracing the people who work closely together with the positive patient such as family member and medical staff in close contact; passengers and crew who have been on forms of transport with an infected person; and other people recorded as having general contact with the patient. These people would also be used by the government and the society to surveil the movement of the infected patient and signaling a warning whenever an individual being in a position closed to the infected person or person under monitor[iii].
Most of this government have been properly developed this mobile application to terminate the chain of this pandemic to be spread. However, the Indonesia government is still facing a struggle on creating the framework and guidelines of this ‘tracking, tracing, and fencing’ application to be implemented, especially related to its users’ data protection and privacy. First, data protection and privacy matter are an issue that becomes the government obligation to be explained to its people related to the implementation. Socialization has also not been conducted by the government or the ministry to provide this type of public service in a massive way to be widely recognized. Nonetheless, The lex specialis Indonesia constitution to prioritize Peraturan Menteri Kesehatan (Permenkes) Nomor 36 Tahun 2012 in opening medical classified report to the public and rule out other laws on achieving public interest should ease and justified the government conduct in designing this application[iv]. However, the government must be steady anticipate to anticipate the sociological impact on publicly unravel the data and information. It is government responsibility to alter the narrative built in the society that perceives people suffering from this disease as taboo into establishing support and assistance for those in need in the middle of society. Second, it is argued that the government still being faced with technical problems as it has not been utilized by people in general and only be able to be utilized in particular system operation (Android only)[v], Other technicalities problem in the utilization of this app would be the total percentage of smartphone ownership within Indonesia that still being minimum compare to other countries mentioned, in just 42% of people with smartphone, 28% non-smartphone, and 29% population with no phone possession[vi].
Third, Even if the Indonesia population has managed to possess a smartphone, the other problem would be the way the government enforcing the utilization or installation of this app by the people as a preventive way to inhibit another massive transmission of the pandemic. Massive and rapid publicity, promotion, advertisement, and inducement must be conducted by the government to educate the people in general about the utilization and function of this app as one of the government strategies to anticipate the spread of COVID-19 in the future. To conclude, rapid government coordination inter ministries and agency must be conveyed to establish a proper framework and steadiness of this mobile application as an infrastructure to terminate the pandemic spread chain in the society as this pandemic works through transmission among person in close contact.
*Smartphone Ownership Rate By Country 2018
*Illustration on how this mobile application would trace and track people (B, C) in close contact with an infected person (A) and also fence and warn the people (D, E, F) related in the chain[vii].
Author: Samuel Giovanni Johanes Pasaribu
Editor: Treviliana Eka Putri
Read more article written by Samuel Giovanni Johanes Pasaribu
[i] KOMINFO, P., 2020. Siaran Pers No. 48/HM/KOMINFO/03/2020 Tentang Menkominfo Keluarkan Keputusan Terkait Tracing Dan Tracking COVID-19. [online] Website Resmi Kementerian Komunikasi dan Informatika RI. Available at: [Accessed 2 April 2020].
[ii] Singapore Government, 2020. Help Speed Up Contact Tracing With Tracetogether. [online] Gov.sg. Available at: [Accessed 2 April 2020].
[iii] BBC, 2020. China Launches Coronavirus ‘Close Contact’ App. [online] BBC News. Available at: [Accessed 2 April 2020].
[iv] Sulistyawati, L., 2020. IDI: Identitas Pasien Positif COVID-19 Boleh Diungkap |Republika Online. [online] Republika Online. Available at: [Accessed 5 April 2020].
[v] News Research Center, 2020. Cara Kerja ‘Peduli Lindungi’, Aplikasi Melawan Corona. Available at: [Accessed 2 April 2020].
[vi] O’Dea, 2020. Smartphone Penetration Rate By Country 2018 | Statista. [online] Statista. Available at: [Accessed 5 April 2020].
[vii] Hellewell, J., 2020. Feasibility of controlling COVID-19 outbreaks by isolation of cases and contacts. The Lancet Global Health, 8(4), pp.488-496.
