Legal Challenges Related to Campaign Regulations on Social Media in the 2024 Election

Authors

  • Muhammad Ngazis Universitas Islam Sultan Agung Semarang, Jawa Tengah, Indonesia.
  • Andri Winjaya Laksana Universitas Islam Sultan Agung Semarang, Jawa Tengah, Indonesia.
  • Hendro Widodo Universitas Islam Sultan Agung Semarang, Jawa Tengah, Indonesia.
  • Arief Budiono Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta, Jawa Tengah, Indonesia.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.38035/gijlss.v4i4.856

Keywords:

Legal Challenges, Social Media, Campaign Regulations, 2024 Elections

Abstract

This study examines the legal challenges surrounding social media campaign regulations in the context of the 2024 General Election, specifically regarding the spread of misinformation (hoaxes), attempts to discredit political opponents through damaging content, and the ambiguity of social media campaign rules. The study employs a normative analysis of prevailing laws and regulations, combined with a descriptive approach to understand the evolution and impact of social media campaign practices. The results show indicate that Law No. 7 of 2017 concerning General Elections and Law No. 19 of 2016 (amending Law No. 11 of 2008) concerning Electronic Information and Transactions serve as the primary legal frameworks governing social media campaigns. However, the normative analysis reveals that these regulations are not yet fully adequate: the Election Law focuses on general campaign regulation without specific technical provisions for digital platforms, while the ITE Law tends to be repressive and reactive—applicable only after problematic content has already circulated—thereby limiting its preventive function. Furthermore, the study identifies overlapping authority among the Election Supervisory Body (Bawaslu), the Ministry of Communication and Informatics (Kominfo), and platform providers regarding the handling of violative campaign content; the absence of clear coordination mechanisms results in slow and inconsistent law enforcement. Ambiguity regarding the boundaries between political criticism, negative campaigning, and hate speech further widens the scope for interpretation and potential abuse. The study concludes that regulatory harmonization and strengthened inter-agency coordination mechanisms are essential to ensure that social media campaign regulations can effectively respond to the dynamics of elections in the digital era.

Author Biography

Arief Budiono, Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta, Jawa Tengah, Indonesia.

Lecturer

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Published

2026-10-03

How to Cite

Ngazis, M., Laksana, A. W., Widodo, H., & Budiono, A. (2026). Legal Challenges Related to Campaign Regulations on Social Media in the 2024 Election. Greenation International Journal of Law and Social Sciences, 4(4), 1362–1374. https://doi.org/10.38035/gijlss.v4i4.856

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 4 (2026): (GIJLSS) Greenation International Journal of Law and Social Sciences (September - October 2026)

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2026 Muhammad Ngazis, Andri Winjaya Laksana, Hendro Widodo, Arief Budiono

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