Hanna Calls for Quick Passage of Cyber Crimes Legislation

Opposition Spokesperson on Youth and Information, Lisa Hanna is urging quick deliberation and passage of the proposed cyber crimes legislation in both Houses of Parliament.
“There are currently many (persons) including and especially children who are victims of digital imagery, often enhanced and falsified, that depict amongst others, statutory rape,” Miss Hanna said.
Making her contribution in the 2008/09 Sectoral Debate in the House, yesterday (June 24), she pointed out that technology is now available that can trace the IP (internet protocol) address of the first email, the sim card of the first camera phone, and the product ID of the digital camera that first sent the image (sexual image).
“The Cyber legislation is key so that this new brand of digital criminals and their accomplices who continue to forward the crime can be brought before the courts and justice served on their victim’s behalf,” Miss Hanna said.
She also said that the current practice of broadcasting lewd and suggestive content at all times of the day on radio and cable has to be discontinued.Miss Hanna stressed that the Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica must begin to engage active collaboration with cable service providers and radio broadcasters to ensure that adequate digital mechanisms are installed.
“(This) would give parents levels of control to prevent certain programmes from being accessed through their cable boxes. This should become the criteria for the renewal for their licences,” Miss Hanna said.She added that the Broadcasting Commission needs to implement a zero tolerance approach to occurrences where the broadcast content “pushes the envelope too far.”