Exchanges on data protection and AI governance: Indonesian-German working groups hold their first meetings

As part of the Indonesian-German Digital Dialogue, two working groups with representatives from both countries have held their first meetings on 26 August 2026. The working groups were established in May 2026 and focus on data protection and AI governance. The first meetings represented a significant move to bringing the working groups to life.

Bringing together representatives from business, civil society, academia and international organisations, the working groups provide a platform to exchange experiences, identify practical challenges and explore areas where Indonesia and Germany can learn from each other.

From data protection principles to practical implementation

As digital services and data-driven business models increasingly operate across borders, effective data protection is closely connected to the ability of organisations to share and use data responsibly.

The participants highlighted several practical issues, including the implementation of data protection requirements, cross-border data flows, adequacy mechanisms and the respective roles of Data Protection Authorities (DPAs) and Data Protection Officers (DPOs). Experiences from Germany and the European Union (EU) provided useful perspectives on how these mechanisms operate in practice. At the same time, discussion recognised that approaches cannot simply be transferred from one context to another as Indonesia's regulatory and institutional landscapes presents its own opportunities and challenges.

Enabling responsible AI

The AI governance working group explored similar practical the question on how AI governance can support responsible innovation without creating disproportionate barriers to development and adoption. Participants exchanged perspectives on the different approaches that could work in practice. This discussion is relevant as Indonesia continues to develop its own framework for responsible and human-centred AI.

A recurring theme was the relationship between AI and data. Data is a fundamental resource for developing, training and deploying many AI systems, closely linking responsible and lawful access to data to both AI governance and innovation. Therefore, data access and data protection should be considered together. A clear and practical regulatory framework that addresses both can help protect individuals while also giving businesses greater certainty when developing and using AI applications.

From dialogue to action

The discussions of the working groups are only the starting point. The next phase of the Indonesian-German Digital Dialogue will focus on translating these exchanges into concrete activities and practical outputs.

The working groups will develop an action plan that identifies areas where further cooperation can add value. Potential activities include knowledge exchange, practical guidance, sharing of case studies and experiences, and continued dialogue between relevant stakeholders. The aim is to create opportunities for stakeholders to move from discussing common challenges to exploring how these challenges can be addressed in practice.