INSTRUMENTALISASI BUZZER POLITIK DAN LEGITIMASI PEMBATASAN KEBEBASAN BEREKSPRESI DI INDONESIA BERDASARKAN PERSPEKTIF KONSTITUSI

THE POLITICAL INSTRUMENTALIZATION OF BUZZERS AND THE LEGITIMIZATION OF RESTRICTIONS ON FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IN INDONESIA FROM A CONSTITUTIONAL PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Freedom of opinion and expression is guaranteed under the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). However, the existence of state-affiliated political buzzer networks operating through doxing, report bombing, and coordinated smear campaigns, combined with the selective enforcement of the Electronic Information and Transactions Law (UU ITE) against government critics, has generated a crisis in democratic deliberation. This normative legal research employs statutory and conceptual approaches to analyze the constitutional framework of freedom of expression and the position of political buzzers as instruments restricting public expression. The study finds that digital coordination tolerated by state-affiliated actors creates a systemic chilling effect on citizens’ constitutional rights. The combination of UU ITE criminalization and coordinated digital attacks establishes a multilayered restriction mechanism incompatible with substantive democracy. This article proposes a three-dimensional legal reconstruction through explicit regulation of inauthentic political behavior, strengthening the investigative mandate of the National Human Rights Commission, and harmonizing Constitutional Court jurisprudence with law enforcement practices.