Background: The increasing use of WhatsApp groups in Indonesia has transformed family communication and religious interaction, but it also exposes users to rising risks of digital fraud. Such fraud affects not only financial stability but also trust, emotional security, and family integrity. The integration between Islamic Family Law and Indonesia’s Electronic Information and Transactions Law (UU ITE) in addressing these issues remains underexplored.
Methods: This study applies a qualitative normative legal approach using statutory and doctrinal analysis. Primary sources include the Qur’an, Hadith, classical fiqh literature, and Law No. 11/2008 as amended by Law No. 19/2016 on Electronic Information and Transactions. Data are analyzed thematically to examine legal protection mechanisms against digital fraud in WhatsApp-based family communication contexts.
Results: Findings show that digital fraud in WhatsApp groups contributes to family disputes, mistrust, and weakened social cohesion. UU ITE provides formal legal remedies for cyber fraud, yet its enforcement in family-centered contexts remains limited. Islamic Family Law offers strong moral principles for protecting family integrity but lacks operational mechanisms for digital threats.
Discussion: A normative gap exists between Islamic Family Law and UU ITE in addressing digital fraud. Both systems operate separately, resulting in fragmented protection. An integrative legal approach is needed to connect ethical-religious principles with state legal enforcement, particularly in digital family communication spaces.
Conclusion: Islamic Family Law must evolve by integrating its moral framework with cyber law enforcement mechanisms under UU ITE to ensure comprehensive protection of families in digital environments.
Novelty: This study develops an integrative framework between Islamic Family Law and Indonesian cyber law for addressing digital fraud in WhatsApp groups, contributing to emerging scholarship on digital family protection.
Publication Date: 2024-12-30