Alicia Sidik Humanities and Social Science
Assessing Privacy and Security Approaches to Regulating Abuse in P2P Fintech Markets of Indonesia
Indonesias governance of fintech remains nebulous and lacks the capacity to safeguard the integrity of data, algorithms, and platforms. Last year, reports surfaced of abuse by debt collectors, ranging from the dissemination of personal information, to intimidation, to sexual harassment. As a growing number of Indonesias unbanked turn to alternative lending platforms, these concerns are especially pertinent. I will be investigating the current regulatory frameworks governing peer-to-peer (P2P) lending in Indonesia. Situating these predatory interests that emerge from distributed innovation as products of market-driven tactics, I will examine the marked tension between innovation and privacy within the context of global neoliberal financialization. Employing interviews, focus groups, and ethnography, I will explore local concepts of privacy and other values enshrined in data protection including dignity, identity, and autonomy. I will investigate alternative approaches to privacy, challenging the efficacy of the informed consent model while accounting for modern data collection practices and the varying capacities of borrowers to negotiate levels of privacy.
Message To Sponsor
Thank you so much to the Pease Fund for their generous support. This summer research fellowship has been one of the most rewarding experiences Ive had during my time at Cal. Thanks to your support, I was able to travel to Indonesia to conduct independent research for the first time, and I gained valuable skills along the way. While I was initially wary of pursuing graduate studies, this fellowship has reaffirmed my interest in doing so.