Guyana Chronicle published an article on August 12, 2020, on the ECLAC meeting on data protection and similar matters in the Caribbean. Here’s a summary:
As countries across the Caribbean prepare to adopt or strengthen data protection legislation for privacy rights, the benefits were discussed during a virtual expert group meeting (EGM) hosted by the ECLAC Caribbean on July 15, 2020. The EGM was based on an upcoming study that reviews data protection legislation of specific Caribbean countries which assesses the alignment of their laws to the European Unions General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and best practices. The study will make targeted recommendations for the revision of existing legislation or the adoption of new legislation for alignment with the EU standard for privacy rights.
The ECLAC Caribbean Director, Diane Quarless stated that providing a level of data protection for personal data equivalent to the GDPR’s standard can ensure a continuous flow of information to and from the Caribbean with significant economic values for countries in the subregion. The study will also make recommendations on matters such as facilitating cross-border data transfer, balancing freedom of expression with privacy rights, and enabling the effective enforcement of data protection laws.
Representatives of government ministries, departments, and supervisory authorities responsible for data protection, information sharing, and e-government from participating Caribbean countries such as Belize, Cayman Islands, and Jamaica participated along with representatives of Caribbean and European Union organizations with data protection and e-government mandates.
Reference: guyanachronicle.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.