Pengaruh Buzzer Politik Terhadap Distorsi Informasi Dalam Demokrasi

The Influence of Political Buzzers on Information Distortion in a Democracy

Abstract

Organised, state-supported buzzer practices have turned cyberspace from a marketplace of ideas into a space for systematic information manipulation. This study examines practices violating rights to information and international norms on the right to truth, and explores why national regulations fail to address them. It uses a normative legal approach, with legislative, conceptual, and comparative methods, supported by literature review of legal instruments. The findings indicate that opinion manipulation through buzzers—facilitated by infrastructure such as phone farming and Social Media Marketing panels—is a form of rights violation to information, which I conceptualise as Censorship by Noise, namely the drowning of valid information under waves of disinformation rather than direct blocking. The involvement of state institutions in funding these practices undermines the tripartite obligation of the state to respect, protect, and fulfil human rights as guaranteed by Article 28F and Article 28I Paragraph (4) of the 1945 Constitution, as well as Article 19 of the ICCPR, and also breaches the principle of the duty not to lie. The regulatory failure stems from the approach of the ITE Law, which focuses on content and does not address the infrastructure and actors behind the buzzer industry. This study recommends a policy shift from content regulation towards transparency and algorithmic accountability, adopting standards such as the EU Digital Services Act.

Keywords: Buzzer Politics; Right to information; Censorship by noise; Cyberspace; Democracy

Abstrak

Praktik industri buzzer politik yang terorganisasi dan disokong oleh sumber daya negara telah mengubah ruang siber dari arena marketplace of ideas menjadi ruang manipulasi informasi yang sistematis. Penelitian ini menganalisis praktik yang melanggar hak konstitusional atas informasi dan norma internasional tentang hak atas kebenaran, serta penyebab kegagalan regulasi nasional menanggulanginya. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode penelitian hukum normatif dengan pendekatan perundang-undangan, konseptual, dan perbandingan, yang ditopang oleh studi kepustakaan terhadap instrumen hukum nasional dan internasional. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa manipulasi opini melalui buzzer—yang difasilitasi infrastruktur seperti phone farming dan panel Social Media Marketing—merupakan bentuk pelanggaran hak atas informasi yang penulis konseptualisasikan sebagai Censorship by Noise, yaitu penenggelaman informasi valid di bawah arus disinformasi alih-alih pemblokiran langsung. Keterlibatan institusi negara dalam pembiayaan praktik ini mencederai kewajiban tripartit negara untuk menghormati, melindungi, dan memenuhi hak asasi manusia sebagaimana dijamin Pasal 28F dan Pasal 28I Ayat (4) UUD 1945 serta Pasal 19 ICCPR, sekaligus melanggar prinsip duty not to lie. Kegagalan regulasi berakar pada pendekatan UU ITE yang berfokus pada konten dan tidak menjangkau infrastruktur serta aktor di balik industri buzzer. Penelitian ini merekomendasikan transisi kebijakan dari pengaturan konten menuju transparansi dan akuntabilitas algoritmik dengan mengadopsi standar seperti EU Digital Services Act.