Government to review Cybercrimes legislation

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Apr 29, CMC – The Jamaica government says the revision of the Cybercrimes Act 2015 is to get underway in another two to three months and will address, among other things, concerns that the current legislation inhibits freedom of expression.
Science, Energy and Technology Minister Dr Andrew Wheatley said the ministry will be inviting the input of all stakeholders in the revision process, including members of the legal fraternity, the security forces, players in the information and communications technology (ICT) industry, and the general public.
Wheatley, who was addressing the Girls in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Day seminar and exhibition, said that the revision will ensure that the Act is in line with current realities.
He noted that because technology is constantly evolving, legislation relating to the industry has to be updated regularly.
Wheatley lauded the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) for staging the Girls in ICT Day event, saying he was pleased to see that the targeted age group has been widened from 14 to 19 in 2016, to 11 to 19 this year.
“We need to inculcate in the minds of our young ladies, from an early age, the importance of ICT, so that they can start to plan ahead,” he said, noting that “the ICT sector has not yet been fully mined by the female cohorts in the global labour force, as it is still male-dominated”.
However, Wheatley said that the ministry is leading by example, with females in ICT management positions such as the Permanent Secretary; the Chief Technical Director of ICT; the Principal Director of ICT; and the Head of the Cyber Incident Response Team (CIRT).