The Jamaican government is apparently considering the possbility of creating a system of mandatory registration of subscriber information for telecom operators. According to an article in The Gleaner, the three mobile operators in Jamaica are currently in discussions with the Jamaican government on this topic. Whilst Claro appears to be receptive to this idea (perhaps due to its experience with a similar system in Mexico), Digicel appears to be concerned about the cost of this initiative (perhaps due to its experience in Guyana).
The article in the Gleaner is vague about the specific measures under consideration in Jamaica. It does not specify whether these measures will be limited to mobile operators or include other telecommunications operators such as internet service providers. It is also unclear whether these measures will expand the law enforcement authorities' ability to intercept communications, or be limited to the disclosure and registration of subscriber information. Also, it remains to be seen whether these measures will have any impact on other Caribbean jurisdictions, given the fact that certain pan-Caribbean operators (e.g. Digicel) are headquartered in Jamaica.
What is clear, however, is that Jamaica is NOT the only Caribbean jurisdiction considering this type of measure. A number of other Caribbean jurisdictions have expressed an interest in similar measures in order to facilitate the gathering of evidence and combat the worsening crime situation across the Caribbean. Bermuda's recently-completed public consultation on CALEA legislation is one example. Stay tuned...
No comments:
Post a Comment