Consumer Legal Protection in Indonesia’s E-Commerce Transactions and Efforts to Improve Security

Abstract

The advent of information and communication technology has profoundly changed the global trade landscape, particularly in Indonesia, where the volume of e-commerce transactions has seen a substantial surge. While e-commerce provides unparalleled convenience for consumers in conducting online transactions, it also presents a myriad of challenges, particularly in ensuring consumer protection. Consumers usually encounter issues such as fraudulent activities, discrepancies between product descriptions and actual products, unauthorized access to personal data, and difficulties resolving disputes with industry entities. As a result, it is imperative to implement strict regulations and strong protection mechanisms to protect consumer rights in e-commerce transactions. The main objective of this study is to analyze the legal protection provided to consumers in e-commerce transactions in the Indonesian context. The aim is to identify the challenges faced in implementing existing regulations and propose solutions to improve the effectiveness of consumer protection measures. This study employs a normative legal methodology, using both statutory and conceptual approaches. The data sources used include primary legal materials, namely Law Number 8 of 1999 concerning Consumer Protection, Law Number 11 of 2008 concerning Information and Electronic Transactions (UU ITE) and its amendments, and other related laws and regulations. Furthermore, this study also uses secondary legal materials, such as scientific journals, books, and affiliated scientific publications. Through a comprehensive analysis, this research strives to reveal the effectiveness of legal protection for consumers in e-commerce transactions and propose strategies to strengthen these protection mechanisms to create a safer and better-trusted digital trading environment.