OIC Registration Fee Will Be Reasonable – Information Commissioner

The fee for registering with the Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC) is yet to be decided, says Information Commissioner, Celia Barclay.

In an interview with JIS News, Ms. Barclay advised that the registration fee is to be confirmed by the regulations that will be issued pursuant to the Data Protection Act, 2020.

“In looking at issuing the drafting instructions for those regulations, we have sought to make the fees reasonable and manageable for data controllers, and so we do not believe that there should be any anxiety in terms of the ability of controllers to manage those fees,” she explained.

Under the Data Protection Act, those who hold, receive, use, collect or deal with personally identifiable information of any individual are considered Data Controllers and must register with the OIC.

Ms. Barclay advised that the approach that has been recommended is for different fees to be prescribed based on the type or category of Data Controller, “whether it is a public authority as opposed to a private sector entity and also having regard to the size of the organisation that is seeking to register”.

The OIC began accepting registration applications on December 1, 2023, and Data Controllers have been given a six-month grace period to register.

Ms. Barclay encouraged Data Controllers to complete step one of the registration process, which is creating a data controller account on the OIC’s website (oic.gov.jm).

“On that website, there is a My OIC Portal that will allow the data controller to create a data controller account. Just by entering certain basic information about the person or entity that is seeking to register, you can create that account. You will be sent a verification email that will allow you to verify your identity, and once that account is established, persons will be able, once everything is in place, to move to the second phase of registration,” she detailed.

For assistance, persons may contact the OIC at info@oic.gov.jm or helpdesk@oic.gov.jm.

The Office of the Information Commissioner serves as the cornerstone of data protection in Jamaica, safeguarding the rights of individuals to the privacy of their personal data.