Your monthly digest on all legal technology news happening around the Caribbean.
Bahamas
* The Bahamas Data Protection Commissioner has recorded a 10 per cent hike in the number of data breach complaints by commercial bank account holders year-over-year, as efforts to increase public awareness on the issue continue. Click here to read more.
Barbados
* Government is looking to launch the Barbados Electronic Single Window (eSW) as part of its overall digital transformation strategy which aims to facilitate the electronic submission of standardised international trade and transport-related documents to a single point. Click here to read more.
* the Royal Barbados Police Force will soon produce electronic motor vehicle accident reports to support efficient processing of insurance claims. The Island is also set to have a new commercial court to handle such claims. Click here to read more.
Belize
* Following a series of leaked sexually explicit videos recently, Attorney-at-Law Lisa Shoman is engaging several members of the legal community including members of the Belize Bar Association to work on drafts and reviews of cybercrime legislation that seek to criminalize the sharing of someone’s private images without their expressed consent, as well as offering civil redress for victims. Click here to read more.
* While the Attorney General is looking at ways to combat cyber bullying through the passage of legislation, Minister of Education Patrick Faber says it is equally important to discourage the production and sharing of pornographic images. Click here to read more.
Curacao
* On March 7 and 8, 2019, the International Association of Economic and Social Councils and Similar Institutions (AICESIS) will hold its annual board meeting in Willemstad, Curaçao (Dutch Caribbean), which will be followed by an open workshop for all members. Debates will be held on the way public policies should be formulated and implemented to effectively regulate the effects of the digital economy and the role social partners should play in this regard. Proper attention will be given to related issues like reform of education and training systems, changes in labor legislation, the reconciliation of personal and work life and the protection of privacy in the new economic and social environment. Click here to read more.
Guyana
* A woman appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, and was granted bail for a charge of improperly using a telecommunication system, in which she allegedly sent threatening messages via social media to another woman. Click here to read more.
Jamaica
* The Government will further refine draft regulations for the National Identification and Registration Act, which seeks to establish a reliable identification system for Jamaicans. Click here to read more.
Trinidad & Tobago
* The Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley and President of Estonia Kersti Kaljulaid engaged in bilateral discussions during day two of the 30th Inter-sessional Meeting of the CARICOM Heads of Government in St Kitts and Nevis. Talks included dialogue on Estonia’s experience as a small country leveraging technology to establish itself as a digital leader in Europe and the possibilities for collaboration to enhance Trinidad & Tobago’s e-Government initiatives. Click here to read more.
* The Special Operations Response Unit (SORT) used drone technology in the arrest of several persons and seizure of firearms, ammunition and narcotics. Click here to read more.
* Contrary to mistaken reports, during Carnival you can't be subject to copyright fees for taking a selfie with your friends in mas bands once it's for personal use according to the TT Carinival Bands Association (TTCBA). Click here to read more.
* The Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill 2019 may soon allow persons to view an online Sexual Offenders Registry for persons who have committed registerable sexual offences. Click here to read more.
* A High Court Judge warned of the various kinds of defamation committed on social media at a recent conference under the theme “Freedom, Facts and Fake News: Straddling Media Communications In the 21st Century” Click here to read more.
Turks and Caicos
* The twin Island has been urged to strengthen its cyber security systems, in light of the country’s plans to invest more in the digital economy. Click here to read more.
Editorial
1. Can CARICOM afford to miss the WTO e-commerce train? By Dr Jan Yves Remy and Alicia Nicholls
On the sidelines of this year’s World Economic Forum meeting in January at Davos, Switzerland, 76 members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) expressed their intention to begin WTO negotiations on electronic commerce (e-commerce).
Making up less than half of the WTO’s overall membership, these willing members entreated other Members to join them in negotiating rules aimed at facilitating the use of e-commerce in trade.
All independent CARICOM member States, except for The Bahamas – which is presently acceding to the WTO – are WTO members and therefore eligible to join these negotiations. However, so far, none have done so. Given the potential of e-commerce for their development, should CARICOM member states reconsider their cautionary stance? Read more here.
2. Digital Kidnapping, Privacy & Child Online Protection by Shiva Bissessar
Digital or virtual kidnapping is a term which enjoyed heightened interest around 2015/16 mainly in the US, in part due to the phenomenon being featured on the popular daytime reality show Dr Phil.
It is similar to, and can be considered a form of, ‘catfishing’, where alternate personas are created (by a perpetrator), using pictures of real people (victim), with the intent to foster relationships with other persons. Read more here.
Around the World
* YouTube’s pedophilia problem: more than 400 channels deleted as advertisers flee over child predators and possible child exploitation. Click here to read more.
