Digest for the month of February 2021
Your monthly digest on all legal technology news happening around the Caribbean.
Bahamas
The government launched the National Cybersecurity Project that will establish a national computer incident response team. Click here to read more.
A 21-year-old man who was charged with intentional libel for sending nude photos of his ex girlfriend to her co-workers was sentenced to nine months in prison. Click here to read more.
Barbados
Unbanked Barbadians will gain the opportunity to make transactions when a new national payment system is launched, Economic Affairs Minister Marsha Caddle has declared during the recent debate on the National Payments Systems Bill. Click here to read more.
Government has moved closer to facilitating an electronic system of payments across the board with the passage of the National Payment System Bill 2021. Click here to read more.
Government has been accused of rushing the bill to create a digital payment system. While acknowledging that the National Payments Systems Bill was important, Opposition Leader Bishop Joseph Atherley charged that it had not been properly scrutinized. Among other things Bishop Atherley contended that the legislation did not address important matters such as economic disparity. Click here to read more.
The Senate took up the new Barbados Digital ID and National ID Card recently with the promise that the new card will have general information that can already be found on the current National ID card and not any personal medical data. Click here to read more.
A computer chip containing an individual’s fingerprint, driver’s licence and other personal data are to be included in the pending Barbados Digital ID and National ID Card, Attorney General and Minister of Home Affairs Dale Marshall, QC, has told lawmakers as the Barbados Identity Management Bill was laid before the House of Assembly. Click here to read more. The new ID card will also have a mobile application version, and there is the possibility of citizens being able to use it for travel. Click here to read more.
Belize
Digital makeovers are coming for the Belize court system. The Attorney General recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the Caribbean Agency for Justice Solutions, to strengthen the courts and the Office of the Attorney General. The agreement includes provisions for the immediate implementation of e-filing for the courts and a digital case management system for the Court of Appeals. Click here to read more.
Jamaica
Amid the maelstrom of public suspicion triggered by allegations of vulnerability of its Jamcovid-19 application, the Government yesterday said it is undertaking a comprehensive review of security on all its websites and networks to ensure compliance with international standards and best practices. Click here to read more.
In an ongoing review of the security of Government’s systems and networks including the JAMCOVID19 platform, the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption (MOCA) Cyber Investigators have observed persistent attempts to gain unauthorized access. Click here to read more.
The Government is prioritising legislation to deal with cybercrime and to safeguard the privacy and personal information of Jamaicans, during the upcoming fiscal year. These include implementation of the Data Protection Act and promulgation of Data Protection Regulations, as well as drafting Regulations under the Telecommunications Act. Click here to read more.
Senior legal counsel at the Bank of Jamaica (BOJ), Celeste McCalla, is urging a joint select committee of Parliament now examining the National Identification and Registration Act, 2020, to ensure that there is a robust legislative framework to protect private data. Click here to read more.
Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) Governor, Richard Byles, says plans are advanced to develop and implement the use of a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) locally. Click here to read more.
Attorney-at-Law Chukwuemeka Cameron has warned operators of medical practices to get their houses in order as far as the security of patients' confidential details are concerned, to escape the penalties associated with not doing so under the pending Data Protection Act. Click here to read more.
Minister of Justice Delroy Chuck says the Government hopes to implement the Data Protection Act, 2020, before the new National Identification System (NIDS) comes into effect. Click here to read more.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Senator Kamina Johnson Smith says she strongly believes the new national identification system (NIDS) will help vulnerable children to not become lost in the society. Click here to read more.
JAMCOVID19 Application Breach
The Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) has announced it will be moving the JAMCOVID-19 database following reports of vulnerabilities detected in the storage of people's personal data on the website and mobile application. Click here to read more.
The Amber Group and its subsidiary Amber Innovations Limited (Amber) wants to reassure the public that it is fully engaged with the Government and people of Jamaica in fighting the novel coronavirus pandemic. Amber Group CEO Dushyant Savadia stated, “Amber's data protection and security systems remain our highest priority in ensuring our compliance with international best practices that govern information security management. Click here to read more.
As concern grows over Jamaica’s cybersecurity infrastructure in the wake of a data breach involving the JAMCOVID-19 application, it has been revealed that the Government has allocated a little over $1 billion to carry out related initiatives. Click here to read more.
The Government wishes to assure users of the JAMCOVID-19 application and the public at large that a comprehensive review of all aspects of the site, application and associated databases is being undertaken and changes implemented with a view to further hardening security and strengthening all security features. Click here to read more.
Amber Group founder and CEO Dushyant Savadia issued a strong defence of his company's work and said he is exploring legal options, as he deems defamatory recent reports in mainstream and social media relating to the Jamcovid application and website that the firm gifted to the Government to help manage the novel coronavirus pandemic. Click here to read more.
On the heels of the discovery of another security vulnerability on the Jamcovid website, data security and web hosting expert Trevor Forrest has urged the Government to strengthen checks and balances when contracting companies for sensitive data technologies. Click here to read more.
Opposition Spokesman on Health, Dr. Morais Guy, says the government will have a difficult time convincing potential visitors that their personal information will be safe following the breach on the JAMCOVID-19 website. Click here to read more.
The Ministry of National Security is reporting that the investigation into the breach surrounding the JAMCOVID application has not revealed any evidence that the vulnerabilities identified were exploited for malicious data extraction or leakage. Click here to read more.
St. Kitts and Nevis
A bill to provide for the regulation of an electronic communication network and an electronic communications service and related matters, otherwise known as the Electronic Communications Bill, 2021, was successfully passed in the Federal Parliament on February 18. Click here to read more.
With the increasing use of technology among the population of St. Kitts and Nevis, the Honourable Vincent Byron, Attorney General and Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs, said it was time to reform the Telecommunications Act of 2020 to preserve the National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC) and protect consumers. Click here to read more.
Editorial
How much data sharing is too much?
Safety and security are essential elements that everyone must adopt in 2021. This is, of course, in addition to wearing masks, maintaining social distances and sanitising.
But you should be aware of the potential problems that arise when your personal information becomes more accessible. Read more here.
Worldwide
United Nations Secretary General António Guterres has charged that the pandemic has raised alarm about the growing reach of digital platforms and the use and abuse of data. Click here to read more.
Digital labour platforms have increased five-fold worldwide in the last decade according to the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) latest World Employment and Social Outlook 2021 report. This growth has underlined the need for international policy dialogue and regulatory cooperation in order to provide decent work opportunities and foster the growth of sustainable businesses more consistently. Click here to read more.
Digital messaging application, WhatsApp is set to forge on with its controversial privacy update despite concerns about what it could mean for its users’ data. The policy shares information like the user’s name, location and other private information with its parent company, Facebook and other subsidiaries. Click here to read more.
Facebook has started blocking sensitive health information that third-party apps had been sharing with the social network in violation of its own rules, said New York officials who investigated the situation. Click here to read more.
