Cabinet approves drafting of MRSI Bill

Cabinet has approved drafting of legislation for the establishment of a Mandatory Registration of Subscriber Information (MRSI) framework, which will require Jamaica’s three mobile phone companies to provide data on request, as part of law enforcement.

Minister with responsibility for Information, Telecommunications and Special Projects, Hon. Daryl Vaz (right), addressing a Post Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House Wednesday (November 17).

Minister with responsibility for Information, Telecommunications and Special Projects, Hon. Daryl Vaz, told Wednesday November 17 Post Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House, that the MRSI is regarded by the local security forces as a tool to assist law enforcement in investigating serious crimes.
“Security intelligence supports the fact that criminal networks exploit the anonymity accorded by pre-paid mobile telephones to execute their nefarious dealings,” the Minister said.
He also noted that an analysis of international trends, in relation to MRSI, indicates that a collaborative relationship between the security forces and communication service providers can improve intelligence gathering and the investigative processes, for the identification and detection of crimes.
Cabinet has approved drafting instructions for the Chief Parliamentary Counsel to prepare amendments to the Telecommunications Act, 2000 to effect the establishment of the MRSI, and the development and execution of an evaluation framework by which the Ministry of National Security will be able to assess the levels of compliance of Communication Service Providers in the implementation of the framework and its overall effectiveness.
“Cabinet also stipulated that special consideration be given to the registration process, to ensure that this would not be open to abuse and was not restrictive to legitimate existing and potential subscribers,” Mr. Vaz said.