The Guyana Government has laid in the National Assembly for debate and consideration legislation aimed at tackling the 21st century phenomenon of cybercrime.
Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Basil Williams, on Thursday presented the Bill to the House for a first reading, before requesting that the Bill be sent to a Special Select Committee for special consideration and further consultations, if needed, ahead of a debate and vote on the matter.
Williams in presenting the Bill to the House said, the legislation treats with the creation of offences of cybercrimes and provides provisions for penalties, investigations and prosecution of such offences.
Opposition Chief Whip Gail Teixeria welcomed the move on the part of the Government to have the Bill sent to a Special Select Committee – the first such accommodation in the 15 months since the coalition A Partnership for National Unity, Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) has been in office and in control of the Legislature.
She did however query why a physical copy of the legislation had not been made available to the Members of Parliament.
Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Barton Scotland, informed the House however that in keeping with the evolution of technology, the Bill would be circulated to the members electronically.
The Cyber Crimes Bill caters for, inter alia: illegal access to a computer system; illegal interception; illegal data interference; illegal acquisition of data; illegal system interference; unauthorised receiving or granting of access to computer data; computer related forgery; computer related fraud; offences affecting critical infrastructure; identity related offences; child pornography; child luring and violation of privacy among a sleuth of other offences.
