🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

Indonesia’s biometric rollout lacks clarity on privacy rules

• Indonesia’s Personal Data Protection Law (PDP Law) treats biometrics as specific personal data requiring tighter controls than names or nationalities 1, yet compliance for the seamless corridor remains unclear.
• PDP Law requires a data protection officer for large-scale or public-service biometric processing 2, though unknown whether the immigration directorate appointed one for this rollout.
• Under the PDP Law, cross-border transfers need adequacy, safeguards, or a derogation such as consent 3. Governance for any flows to Amadeus, a travel-technology provider, remains unclear.
• All Indonesia app collects passport details and other personal information before arrival 4. Policies on informed consent, retention and sharing with airlines are not stated.

Airport operators and tech vendors see growth from Indonesia’s biometric rollout

• Seamless corridor runs at Soekarno-Hatta with a third site planned at Juanda, plus trials handled over 30 crossings a minute and 50,000 passengers. Operators will scale biometric systems, opening procurement to gate makers plus systems integrators (firms that connect hardware and software).
• It uses AI biometrics and lets registered passengers skip counters. Buyers will seek liveness detection tools that verify a real person, not a photo or mask, and security firms that deter spoofing.
• As All Indonesia app registration reaches more groups and airports, operators will upgrade networks and backend systems for real-time matching plus reliable handling of cases needing manual review.
• Vendors can prepare integrations linking the All Indonesia app with airline and airport operational systems as authorities seek to streamline immigration plus other processes.