Legal Protection for Consumers in TikTok Shop Transactions under Indonesian Digital Trade Regulation

Abstract

The rapid development of social commerce has transformed the structure of electronic transactions in Indonesia by integrating social interaction, entertainment, advertising, product recommendations, live streaming, and electronic commerce within interconnected digital platforms. TikTok Shop represents one of the most significant manifestations of this transformation. Its development, however, has generated legal challenges concerning misleading product information, non-conforming goods, refund mechanisms, electronic contracts, platform accountability, personal data protection, algorithmic recommendations, live-shopping practices, and dispute resolution. This article examines the legal protection available to consumers in TikTok Shop transactions under Indonesian digital trade regulation and evaluates the adequacy of the current regulatory framework following the replacement of Minister of Trade Regulation Number 31 of 2023 by Minister of Trade Regulation Number 19 of 2026. The research applies normative legal research using statutory, conceptual, and analytical approaches. Primary legal materials include Law Number 8 of 1999 on Consumer Protection, Government Regulation Number 80 of 2019 on Trading Through Electronic Systems, Law Number 27 of 2022 on Personal Data Protection, Law Number 1 of 2024 concerning the Second Amendment to the Electronic Information and Transactions Law, and Minister of Trade Regulation Number 19 of 2026. The study finds that Indonesian law provides a multilayered structure of preventive and repressive consumer protection, including rights to accurate information, product safety, compensation, complaint mechanisms, personal data protection, responsible artificial intelligence use, and dispute resolution. Nevertheless, regulatory fragmentation, complex platform relationships, live-shopping persuasion, affiliate accountability, algorithmic influence, cross-border transactions, and unequal bargaining positions continue to create protection gaps. Strengthening platform accountability, digital dispute resolution, algorithmic transparency, live-shopping documentation, and regulatory coordination is therefore necessary to ensure substantive consumer protection in Indonesia's evolving social-commerce ecosystem