Digest for the month of January 2020

Your monthly digest on all legal technology news happening around the Caribbean.

Bahamas

*         After months of review, the Digital Assets and Registered Exchange Bill, 2020 (DARE Bill) – which would pave the way for the issuance and trading of cryptocurrency in The Bahamas – has been completed. Click here to read more.

*         National Security Minister Marvin Dames says the Government is serious in its commitment to reduce crime in the Bahamas as it signed an agreement with the Trinidad- based AE Tactical, for body and dash cams for police officers. Click here to read more.

*         The Bahamas’ Sand Dollar is the first digital fiat currency that is consumer-ready, according to global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright, which advised NZIA Limited, the company that helped the Central Bank of The Bahamas (CBOB) to develop and launch the digital Bahamian dollar. Click here to read more.

British Virgin Islands

*         Closed Circuit TV (CCTV) cameras are expected to arrive in the Islands in the coming weeks and will assist the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force in policing the territory. Click here to read more.

*         The Government of the Virgin Islands, in collaboration with the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) is conducting a series of stakeholders meetings to review the e-Government suite of legislation which includes the Data Protection Bill 2019. Click here to read more.

Cayman Islands

*         As criminals get more sophisticated in their approach to breaking laws, those in the criminal justice system have to up their game to catch them. At the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, newly confirmed DPP Patrick Moran is leading the charge to help make that happen. Click here to read more.

Guyana

*         The Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) is urging customers to be more vigilant and to seek verification of promotions. Recently, the company has seen an increase in fraud reports during 2019. Click here to read more.

Jamaica

*         Head of the Cyber Incident Response Unit in the Ministry of Science Energy and Technology, Dr. Moniphia Hewling says the country has suffered major losses as a result of cybercrimes. Click here to read more.

*         Minister of Energy, Science and Technology Fayval Williams is encouraging companies to digitise their paper files ahead of the data protection Bill, which is expected to be brought to Parliament within the next month. Click here to read more.

*         Footage from CCTV cameras has assisted investigators to identify the vehicle which hit a policeman during a traffic stop. Click here to read more.

*         National Commercial Bank (NCB) has admitted that they are facing an increase in credit card fraud but has disputed claims that that the upgrade of its banking system last year has caused many customers to fall victim to fraudsters. Click here to read more.

*         Of the 361 services offered by the Jamaica Government, only 30, or eight per cent, can be started and completed online. That suggests the Government has a mammoth task to achieve its policy goal of a fully digital Jamaica, one that requires the processing of some 32 million records and legislative changes, but a programme that Minister of Science, Energy and Technology Fayval Williams asserts will be wrapped up sooner than Jamaicans expect. Click here to read more.

*         Jamaicans are on the cusp of receiving electronic passports (e-passports) as part of the transformation process taking place at the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA). This forms part of the new national Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) project and it also forms part of the Government's National Identification System (NIDS). Click here to read more.

Regional

*     A new programme has been launched to help Caribbean countries go cashless, financial technology giant Mastercard has announced, optimistic that it will boost tourism’s earning potential and help Governments pay citizens directly through smart identification cards. Click here to read more.

Editorial

1.    Cyber Stains by Mosa Telford

The release and wide distribution of videos involving sexual activity on social media has become somewhat of a norm in Guyana. It is not professional Guyanese porn stars in these videos. Unfortunately, these videos are often intended to embarrass the person or persons involved. It is a crime. Read more here.