Jamaica Observer published an article on August 3, 2020, on the Press Association’s call for changes to the proposed Data Protection Act. Here’s a summary:
The Press Association of Jamaica (PAJ) has joined the call for the government to pull back and revise certain provisions of the Data Protection Act which it labels as “problematic” for journalists. The association has gauged the potential danger to journalism by the Bill and has serious concerns especially seeing that the Act has passed both Houses of Parliament.
It was highlighted that while the desire for independence of the office is understandable, it results in having tremendous decision-making power allocated towards a single individual. The solution to these concerns cannot be legal action after the fact, especially seeing the time-sensitive nature of journalism. Additionally, forcing disputes through the court system might kill crucial pieces of journalism and result in restraint, which is unacceptable in journalism.
Concerning the negative and problematic effects of European implementations of data protection legislation, the PAJ is calling on the government to remit the legislation to Parliament for reconsideration.
Reference: jamaicaobserver.com
Contributed by Racquel Bailey from Jamaica. Racquel is a member of the WISC Discord group from the G5 Cyber Security Foundation Ltd. Learn more about WISC (Women in InfoSec Caribbean) at wiscaribbean.org. WISC is a non-profit initiative supporting Caribbean women and girls to develop a career in Information Security.