Criminal Liability for Commercialization of Individual Portraits on Car Free Day according to the Electronic Information and Transactions Law
Main Article Content
Abstract
The use of individual portraits taken during Car Free Day activities has raised legal issues when such images are distributed or commercialized through electronic media without the consent of the person photographed. This study aims to analyze the legal qualification of commercializing individual portraits in public spaces and the criminal liability of perpetrators under Indonesian law, particularly Article 26 of the Electronic Information and Transactions Law, Law Number 27 of 2022 on Personal Data Protection, and Article 12 of Law Number 28 of 2014 on Copyright. This research uses normative legal research with statutory and conceptual approaches. The novelty of this study lies in its effort to distinguish ordinary public documentation, journalistic use, and unauthorized commercial exploitation of individual portraits in public spaces. The findings show that taking photographs in public spaces does not automatically constitute a criminal offense. However, criminal liability may arise when the portrait is processed, distributed, manipulated, or used through electronic media without consent, for commercial purposes, and causes harm to the subject’s privacy, dignity, or economic interests. Civil liability may also arise under unlawful act principles, while administrative sanctions may be imposed when personal data protection obligations are violated. Therefore, clearer legal parameters are needed to determine the boundary between lawful documentation and unlawful commercialization of individual portraits in digital spaces.
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