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Philippine president to meet Trump in Washington to discuss trade, security and defence

Philippine president to meet Trump in Washington to discuss trade, security and defence

CNA4 days ago
The Philippine president is in the US for three days to deepen economic and security ties. Ferdinand Marcos Jr is the first Southeast Asian leader to visit the White House in the second term for President Donald Trump. The Philippine leader has vowed to push for a trade deal and secure long-term access to the American market. Nick Harper has the latest from Washington DC.
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Hendra also pointed out that the agreement could obscure legal boundaries outlined in the Personal Data Protection (PDP) Law, which requires electronic system operators, particularly those in critical sectors like education, banking and health care, to implement strong, onshore data protection measures. 'The personal data of Indonesian citizens is a strategic [resource]. If we say that data is the new oil, then it must be generated and processed domestically to become our asset,' he said. Hendra urged the government to conduct a comprehensive assessment, preventing the cross-border data agreement from resulting in overdependence and diminished control, worsening already weak data security in the country, marked by breaches reported in the past few years. The Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy for Society (Elsam) has also voiced concern over potential drawbacks of the deal and serious threats to Indonesia's digital ecosystem. In a press release published on Wednesday, Elsam described the digital trade deal as 'unfair', arguing that the agreement favored interests of US-based data storage companies over the protection of personal data. It also highlighted the potential threat of mass surveillance of Indonesian citizens by US authorities, as well as risks from cross-border data flows, given that the Indonesian government has yet to establish a personal data protection body to oversee such practices. 'The absence of this institution, alongside fragmented cross-sectoral regulations, has led to weak oversight of the protection of personal data transferred overseas. This includes an increased risk of data leaks, misuse and violations of privacy rights,' reads the press release. 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