– as first ever conference ends
The first national conference on cyber security has ended with more than a dozen recommendations including a call for the enactment of laws to prosecute cyber criminals as the local ICT landscape begins to take shape with public and private efforts at improving internet connectivity.
The two-day event, held at the Regency Suites, was organised by the Ministry of Home Affairs and drew participation from the disciplined services, the public and private sectors and experts from the OAS and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Among the 20 recommendations were calls for the development of a national public awareness strategy on cyber security/cyber crime; the establishment of a Computer Security Incident Response Team; and the creation of measures to protect mobile phone users in case of theft or misplaced handsets.
The ministry’s Crime and Security Programme Specialist Floyd Levi noted that the conference was an initial step towards formulating the national policy with the resulting recommendations to be taken to the minister who will then forward them to the Cabinet for its consideration.
He added that the two days were spent examining the circumstances peculiar to Guyana since it was important that these be understood before a policy is developed.
According to Levi, they will modify the approaches employed by the OAS to suit Guyana’s needs and that they will be working with the organisation and the UNODC.
Other recommendations include the introduction of standardised software and compatible hardware for government agencies; the creation of a monitoring body; and the development of a “comprehensive risk management and response mechanism in the event of destruction of ICT infrastructure by fire, flood or other disasters.”
There was also a call for cyber security to receive high priority on the national development agenda and for the creation of an identification repository to verify the identity of potential subscribers to ICT service providers.
Day two saw presentations on the implementation and enforcement of cyber security legislation, information sharing among national stakeholders and developing a national framework for cyber security.
Several panel discussions were also held. Defining cyber security and infrastructure protection, legal issues, cyber threats and the implications for the government were among the issues dealt with the previous day.
The event comes some three months after GT&T launched its Emagine Broadband network which operates on the US$60 million fibre optic cable it commissioned with Suriname carrier Telesur.
The government is also moving to land another fibre optic cable from Brazil, which it has said will be used for e-governance.
The administration is also preparing to launch a US$30 million project by year end which will see laptops given to some 90,000 poor families over the next three years with the government intending to subsidise internet connectivity to some extent. (Kwesi Isles)
