Digest for the month of May 2020
Your monthly digest on all legal technology news happening around the Caribbean.
Antigua
* Legislators have recommended that the newly drafted Digital Assets Business Bill 2020 be returned in its entirety to the Lower House for further amendments. Click here to read more.
Bahamas
* Government has increased the use of e-platforms, particularly since the worldwide pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus. In a statement issued by Senator the Hon. J. Kwasi Thompson he said that “This Government has tremendously increased the use of E-Government platforms and Initiatives since coming to office and particularly in response to COVID-19.” Click here to read more.
* The Bahamian economy “must come out of COVID-19 with a greater degree of efficiency than we went into this” through the full-fledged embrace of technology, John Delaney, QC, former attorney general urged. Click here to read more.
* After scaling back operations in late March while remaining operational for urgent matters, the Supreme Court will resume some operations using remote platforms. Click here to read more.
* The Bahamas Judiciary’s move to modernize its court processes and integrate the use of technology has positioned the body to better respond to present social distancing requirements, while highlighting the urgent need for a continuance of this reform. Click here to read more.
* A man recently admitted in Magistrates’ Court to damaging his ex-girlfriend’s iPhone and accessing sensitive information from her social media accounts and iCloud drive. Click here to read more.
* The Ministry of Health has signed a contract for a web and mobile app which will provide a 24-hour monitoring service for those in self-isolation amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here to read more.
* The National Insurance Board (NIB) is warning its customers about an increase in phishing scams, through which perpetrators have been trying to obtain sensitive and personal information from customers seeking benefits and assistance. Click here to read more.
* Key Bahamian financial institutions have warned clients they are being targeted by fraudsters seeking to obtain their personal financial information through "phishing" scams. Click here to read more.
* A teenager who secretly recorded a woman having sex and circulated the video via WhatsApp, returns to court today for sentencing. Click here to read more.
* A magistrate wants to hear from a woman whose privacy was invaded when a student secretly recorded and published a video of her having sex with another man. Click here to read more.
Barbados
* President of the Barbados Bar Association Rosalind Smith-Miller believes that the judiciary should have been better prepared to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Describing the initial seven-week, 24-hour lockdown as “chaotic”, Smith-Miller said it was unfortunate systems were not in place to allow for the smooth running of court. Click here to read more.
* Businesses, from fish vendors to multinational corporations were today presented with a contactless online payment system as a strategy for coping with the COVID-19 pandemic. WiPay is being touted as a form of e-commerce and cashless transactions that bypass traditional bank-centred merchant payment systems in a bid to embrace the ‘unbanked’. Click here to read more.
* The release of numerous pornographic images and videos on social media has plunged at least one woman into depression, while raising the ire of a well-known women’s rights activist and a Government Minister. Click here to read more.
* The temporary suspension on the importation and licensing of drones has been extended for an additional six months. Click here to read more.
* Local drone owners are growing increasingly restless with continuous extensions to a “temporary” ban on the importation of the aircraft. They believe this is preventing them from cashing in on the global billion dollar industry and undertaking projects in the national interest.
Cayman Islands
* Criminals are using the coronavirus crisis as bait to hook people into a variety of cyber-scams. Click here to read more.
* Regulators have seen a “100% jump” in criminal activity online since the start of the pandemic. Click here to read more.
* New legislation which is expected to boost the resilience of the offshore sector in the post COVID-19 economic recovery is coming in the next few months. These Bills which include the Virtual Asset (Service Providers) Bill, 2020 will provide a legal framework to promote the use of new technology and innovative enterprise in the jurisdiction such as expansions in fintech and virtual asset service providers. Click here to read more.
Guyana
* The Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation says it will be using technology, including drone technology with facial recognition software for remote aerial monitoring to monitor and catch gold miners and other people engaged in illegal activity in or near reserve, in the wake of unauthorised mining that has damaged the forest floor. Click here to read more.
* Has the electronic sports (e-Sports) phenomenon officially arrived in Guyana? This is the firm belief of sports journalist Michelangelo Jacobus, who served as the coordinator of the recent inaugural I-Bet Supreme FIFA 20 ‘League of Champions’ e-Sports tournament. Click here to read more.
* The opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) is preparing to activate Guyana’s Cyber Crime laws in order to take action against coalition supporters that have demonstrated a propensity of creating mischief, through various public posts on social media platforms which are meant to foment confusion. Click here to read more.
* As Police in Linden continue to hunt for a Linden taxi driver who is allegedly at the centre of a viral sexually explicit video involving a female minor, yet another one has surfaced implicating him and another man allegedly with another underage female. Click here to read more.
Jamaica
* Jamaica is employing the use of geospatial technology for the monitoring and data management aspects in combatting the coronavirus. Click here to read more.
* Human rights watchdog group Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) is seeking further clarity on the Government's planned location-tracking strategy for returnees to the island amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. Click here to read more.
* Minister of Science, Energy and Technology Fayval Williams says COVID-19 has brought into sharp focus the need to make access to the Internet a right for every citizen, adding that “we are committed to making this a reality for all Jamaicans”. Click here to read more.
* The long-awaited Data Protection Bill was passed in the House of Representatives with bi-partisan support and no amendments. Click here to read more.
* Attorney General Marlene Malahoo Forte says that the Data Protection Act must be kept under constant review. Click here to read more.
* Prime Minister Andrew Holness says the Jamaican economy must now rapidly transition to online transactions, as the COVID-19 crisis has exposed the inefficiencies and riskiness of cash transactions. Click here to read more.
* Prime Minister Andrew Holness, says the Government is looking into procuring monitoring technology to effectively facilitate home quarantining of residents repatriated under the controlled re-entry programme. Click here to read more.
* Economist Dr. Andre Haughton has called on the country’s telecommunications companies and the banking sector to create and facilitate the use of mobile wallets so that Jamaicans can send and receive money remotely. Click here to read more.
* The JamCovid19 App is now available for download on Android devices. The application provides the latest data and statistics related to COVID-19 in Jamaica allows citizens to self-report their health status, book an appointment for testing if they are exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, as well as request emergency services. Click here to read more.
* A myth which has taken root in Jamaica about a link between 5G technology and COVID-19 is costing the major telecommunications providers millions of dollars to repair infrastructure damaged by those who believe this baseless claim. Click here to read more.
* The National Security Ministry has signed a partnership with the Jamaica Gasoline Retailers Association (JGRA) and JamaicaEye to connect approximately 121 gas stations to the national surveillance system. Click here to read more.
St. Lucia
* Prime Minister Allen Chastanet has disclosed that a fake Instagram account has been created in the name of his wife, Raquel Du Boulay-Chastanet. “This account has been messaging persons about supporting causes and other financial opportunities,” Chastanet wrote on his official Facebook page. Click here to read more.
Trinidad & Tobago
* National Security Minister Stuart Young says while he is awaiting amendments to the Administration of Justice (Electronic Monitoring) (Amendment) Bill, 2020 to be approved by Parliament, his ministry was ready to activate the legislation as soon as possible. Click here to read more.
* Fraud Squad police say card-skimmers have changed their tactics to fleece customers of their cash during the covid19 pandemic. Click here to read more.
* Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi has declared that the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Amendment Bill 2019, does not infringe anyone's right to privacy. Click here to read more.
* The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) Friday warned people to be wary of fraudsters who were becoming much more ingenious in their ways to skim them of their hard earned cash during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Click here to read more.
* The Financial Intelligence branch of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service announced that it was suspending investigations into Cambridge Analytica’s involvement in iinterfering with the electoral process in the 2015 general election with the alleged assistance of some members of the United States Congress during its time as the ruling party, pending further information. Click here to read more.
* Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi has advised the United National Congress (UNC) not to celebrate over the "pausing" of the Cambridge Analytica investigation. Click here to read more.
Editorial
1. Big Brother is watching out for you By James Whittaker
The idea of smartphones being used to track and report on people’s movements conjures dystopian visions of state surveillance.
In the case of most COVID-19 contact-tracing apps, the intention is that Big Brother is watching out for you, rather than simply watching you. The technology is being deployed, aggressively in some countries, to help track and trace people who may have been exposed to the coronavirus. Nonetheless, privacy and data-protection concerns are challenging many western democracies as they seek to adopt technologies and techniques that have been successful elsewhere. Decision-makers in the Cayman Islands are reckoning with the same questions. Read more here.
2. Of mental health and revenge porn By Marsha Hinds
There are two stories which emerged in news cycles this week that I wanted to offer further comment on. One highlighted the growing trend of revenge pornography and the other looked at the less discussed issue of women affected by mental illness. Read more here.
3. A ban on cell phones is a gag on free speech during the electoral process By Rakesh Rampertab
The cell phone is no stranger in Guyanese life. It is an integral part of our life and a primary tool for communication and free speech. There can be no “transparent” elections if a recount involves a ban on cell phones. A ban on cell phones is a gag on free speech during the electoral process. Read more here.
4. Living Digitally By Courtney M.
In an address to the Roadmap Recovery Team, the Prime Minister admitted that the country has been underperforming and failing to utilise technology as a means to accelerate development. It was at this meeting that he accepted a recommendation for the adoption of a unique e-identity card for every citizen. Read more here.
5. NIB and e-government central to recovery By Allyson Maynard-Gibson
In the last decades of the 20th century, the government of The Bahamas, irrespective of administration, made a firm commitment to e-government and e-commerce. An IDB loan was left in place to advance e-government.
The National Insurance Board (NIB) was seen as one of the key center points to e-government. Every working Bahamian must have an NIB number, whether working for her/himself or someone else. I recall that an NIB number was a prerequisite to being able to register for the online incorporation feature at the Registrar General’s Department (RGD). Read more here
Worldwide
* In response to the rapidly changing cybercrime landscape during the COVID-19 pandemic, INTERPOL has launched a global awareness campaign to keep communities safe from cybercriminals seeking to exploit the outbreak to steal data, commit online fraud or simply disrupt the virtual world. Click here to read more.
* Privacy watchdogs say that the popular TikTok video app is violating a children’s privacy law and putting kids at risk by collecting personal information of kids under 13 without their parents’ consent. Click here to read more.
