Gov’t Fast-Tracking Data Protection Law

Science, Energy and Technology Minister, Hon. Fayval Williams, says that the Government is “moving rapidly” to complete the Data Protection Bill, which would better enable Jamaicans to safeguard their personal information online.

“There will be new rights that we’ll have, and it’s part of Jamaica joining the global world, because other parts of the world have already implemented personal data protection laws,” Mrs. Williams said, while addressing the opening ceremony for the Coders of the Caribbean Hackathon on Friday (August 9) at the Knutsford Court Hotel, St. Andrew.

“It’s not a matter of if we’re going to do this. We have to, as part of the global world. As you know, personal data is big business. There are many companies that make a lot of money buying and selling our data without our knowledge, and so the regimes are being created around the world, where we will have the right to say how our personal data is used,” she added.

She reiterated that cyber threats and data breaches are real, and although the Government and the Cyber Incidence Response Team try to prevent attacks, individuals and entities must take the requite safeguards against cyber incidents.

The Coders of the Caribbean Hackathon was staged by Next Gen Creators, a non-profit organisation, which started in 2015.

It was geared towards providing a platform for aspiring and existing developers across the region to showcase their skills and create solutions to the world’s biggest problems.

This year’s event, which concluded on Sunday (Aug. 11), saw over 100 young people from across the Caribbean participating in workshops and coding events.