Digest for the month of March 2020

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

Barbados

*         False propaganda geared towards raising alarm in Barbados and communities in relation to COVID-19 will not be tolerated said Minister of Home Affairs, Edmund Hinkson. Click here to read more.

Jamaica

*         The Jamaican Government has indicated that it will be fast-tracking the implementation of the national identification system (NIDS) as part of its response to the crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here to read more.

*         A Westmorland man has been charged with creating public mischief in relation to a viral voice note falsely claiming that there would be a shutdown of the parish. Click here to read more.

*         The Jamaica National Group announced that the Jamaica Constabulary Force's Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency and other security agencies were investigating a ransomware attack on the organisation which occurred on March 14 2020. Click here to read more.  

*         The Government will be ramping up the mounting of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at locations across the island under Jamaica Eye. Prime Minister Andrew Holness, said that $1.2 billion has been set aside in the 2020/21 Budget for the supply and installation of cameras, servers and software for ongoing project activities. Click here to read more.

Trinidad & Tobago

*         National Security Minister Stuart Young said the electronic monitoring system for domestic violence offenders was ready to go live once the legislation is proclaimed. Click here to read more.

*         Government appears to be losing the information war to social media which is being overloaded with misinformation about the spread and severity of the COVID-19 virus. On Facebook and WhatsApp groups, alarming messages are being shared of multiple cases and of people going into health centres across the island with symptoms consistent with COVID-19. Click here to read more.