Digest for the month of April 2020
Your monthly digest on all legal technology news happening around the Caribbean.
Antigua
* The Covid-19 pandemic doesn’t just pose a threat to health and economies – it could pave the way for a surge in cybercrime too. That’s according to the Office of National Drug and Money Laundering Control Policy (ONDCP) which is urging banks and residents to be alert to the likelihood of “new and increased” tactics used by crooks online. Click here to read more.
* The High Court of Justice in Antigua and Barbuda has taken the decision to postpone the criminal assizes, previously scheduled to begin on Tuesday April, 21, 2020. Click here to read more.
* Scammers are using the Antigua Public Utilities Authority’s (APUA) insignia to trick customers into believing that they have won gifts and other electronic devices from the company. Click here to read more.
Barbados
* The Judiciary and the Bar Association seem to be at odds over the manner in which cases are being dealt with during the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here to read more.
* There are no 5G stations in operation in Barbados. The Ministry of Innovation, Science and Smart Technology has refuted a post circulating on WhatsApp which claims a number of these stations were located around Barbados and were being used to monitor the communications and social media activity of citizens and residents. Click here to read more.
Bahamas
* A man has been jailed for six months for sharing an explicit video of his former girlfriend on WhatsApp. Click here to read more.
* The government announced that its draft e-commerce policy was being shared with industry stakeholders as a critical element in “accelerating” the country’s post COVID-19 recovery. Minister of State for Grand Bahama Kwasi Thompson stated that the policy was intended to encourage both private sector and government entities to conduct transactions online and ensure they have built-in digital capacity to recover from major disasters.Click here to read more.
Belize
* Commissioner of Police Chester Williams states that a local media outlet did not breach any laws when they posted news related to a COVID-19 patient on Facebook. The news outlet was criticized for posting misinformation and creating public alarm. Click here to read more.
* The Kolbe Foundation recently introduced a system where inmates can make virtual court appearances from the Belize Central Prison. It’s a system that is also being considered by the Belize Police Department in dealing with persons who have been charged for violation of the state of emergency. Click here to read more.
Grenada
* Police mostly credit the employment of drone technology for the increase in capturing persons, which now stand at over 100 persons, for violating a mandatory 24 hour curfew implemented by Government in an effort to fight to coronavirus pandemic. Click here to read more.
Guyana
* Law enforcement officials have launched an investigation into the making and circulation of a video on social media in which an underage girl was seen in a sexual act with a taxi driver. Click here to read more.
* Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Co. (GTT) has said it is not distributing care packages and is urging the public to be aware of scams as persons are trying to capitalise on vulnerabilities during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Click here to read more.
Jamaica
* Prime Minister Andrew Holness, says the Cabinet will soon consider the revised National Identification System (NIDS) Bill, following which it will be brought to the House of Representatives. Click here to read more.
* Minister of Justice, Hon. Delroy Chuck, is reminding Jamaicans that they are still able to access justice services, particularly through the use and integration of technology, in light of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Click here to read more.
* Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) in St. Elizabeth, Nadine Grant-Brown, says plans are in progress for the rollout of the JamaicaEye initiative in the parish. The national closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance programme involves networking cameras owned by the Ministry of National Security. Click here to read more.
* The Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) issued a news release condemning the spread of false information about the connection between COVID-19 and 5G technology. Click here to read more.
* As Jamaica continues to implement measures to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the Judiciary announced that bail hearings were now being conducted through video conferencing. Click here to read more.
St. Lucia
* A man who used social media to insult and threaten Prime Minister Allen Chastanet has been charged with an offence. Click here to read more.
Trinidad & Tobago
* Community mobility reports from Google are now available online. The search engine is releasing data, available for countries around the world, including Trinidad and Tobago that shows how businesses, groceries, pharmacies and other places of interest have been affected by the covid19 pandemic. Click here to read more.
* The Administration of Justice (Electronic Monitoring) (Amendment) Bill, 2020 has been passed in the Parliament. Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi said the bill is associated with both the need to deal with domestic violence (DV) and the COVID-19 situation.Click here to read more.
* Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi announced that the country will have 12 virtual courts by next week. Click here to read more.
* Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said his Facebook profile has been hacked. Click here to read more.
* The Judiciary has issued a media release clarifying the process behind allowing the public to attend virtual hearings and denied claims that the decision came about because of legal or public pressure. Click here to read more.
Regional
* The Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) has taken note of the upsurge in the spread of misinformation that the introduction of 5G is the cause of COVID-19 and has stated that there is no scientific evidence linking the two. Click here to read more.
Editorial
1. Be bold Bahamas – Digitization and Dignity By Allyson Maynard-Gibson Q.C.
I congratulate the government on taking the step of moving payment of NIB benefits to digital wallets. This is a step in the right direction to diminishing, if not terminating, long lines at NIB, social services, food stores, and other service places. Read more here.
2. E-signatures and e-contracts in the age of “working remotely’ By Kerri-Anne Mayne
Employees working from home may not have facilities available to allow them to print and execute necessary documents to allow for the efficient operation of the business. Likewise, transactions with clients and, in particular, cross-border transactions, are in danger of being stunted by virtue of restrictions in movement worldwide, thus limiting the possibility of face-to-face meetings for execution of agreements. Read more here.
3. COVID-19, privacy and data protection By Mukta Balroop
Among the many societal shifts that have been triggered by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is an even greater public reliance on data and technology.
Whether it is experts using patient data to identify trends and control the spread of the virus, businesses using technology to enable their employees to work from home, or individuals using it to stay connected with their loved ones, COVID- 19 seems to have resulted in a shift in how many people view technology and privacy —in ways that are likely to have lasting impacts long after the virus is gone. Read more here.
4. At last, the virtual courtroom – Author unknown
In a laudable effort to enable the delivery of justice during the limitations of the covid19 lockdown, some important improvements are coming to the Judiciary of Trinidad and Tobago. By next week, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi promised, there would be 12 virtual courts operating in this country. Read more here.
5. Catfishing & IG By Thomas Eugene
I was recently made aware of certain activities involving young Saint Lucian individuals over Instagram and I could not sit back and wait. As we are all aware, ‘catfishing’ has become a big deal in our technological era; persons have taken this to the extreme with sexual exploitation. Read more here .
Worldwide
* The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Thursday announced that it is continuing to perform its functions despite the containment measures put in place around the world to halt the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Click here to read more.
* WhatsApp is introducing a new limit on message forwarding to tackle the spread of misinformation, its parent company Facebook has announced. The limitations follow a “significant increase” in forwarding during the COVID-19 outbreak, according to a company statement. Click here to read more.
* Marriott says guests’ names, loyalty account information, and other personal details may have been accessed in the second major data breach to hit the company in less than two years. Marriott said on Tuesday that approximately 5.2 million guests worldwide may have been affected. Click here to read more.
