NGOs to host town hall meeting on Data Protection Act

THE SPOTLIGHT will be on the ground-breaking and far-reaching Data Protection Bill in a specially convened town hall being organised to stimulate debate and answer questions from the public about the legislation.

The forum is being organised by a group of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that are partnering to draw public attention to the proposed legislation, which is now being examined by a joint select committee of Parliament.

The groups include the Press Association of Jamaica, the Media Association of Jamaica, SlashRoots Foundation, as well as Jamaicans for Justice. The town hall meeting will be held next Tuesday at the University College of the Caribbean, Main Campus in New Kingston, starting at 6 p.m. Attendance is free and the town hall is open to the public.

“It is very important to engage the public on this very critical bill so that people can better understand how it will impact their lives,” says Matthew McNaughton, who is a principal of the SlashRoots Foundation.

“The Data Protection Act is probably the most far-reaching legislation to be discussed in recent times, even more so than the controversial NIDS Act. It is vital that the act provide an enabling, rather than a restrictive framework, for data use,” McNaughton added.

Executive Director of Jamaicans for Justice Rodje Malcolm explained that the town hall is being held to take a comprehensive look at the legislation from a variety of perspectives.

“The town hall was conceptualised to allow for a broad-based and wide-ranging discussion on the Data Protection Bill,” he explained.