JFJ concerned some state agencies restricting access to information

 

Executive Director of Jamaicans for Justice, Mickel Jackson, says there are state agencies using the Data Protection Act to restrict access to information.

 

Ms. Jackson says the Data Protection Act should not be used as a tool for secrecy.

 

She says while Jamaicans have a right to privacy, they also have a right to access to information.

 

"So I'm very troubled when I see state agencies saying, I can't give you this information, notwithstanding your right to seek and receive information under the Constitution, because there's a Data Protection Act. Stop it. This legislation ought not to be used to undermine any other rights that we have in our country. And I would urge state agencies to adhere to the law and ensure that we do not use it as a tool for secrecy," she demanded. 

 

Ms. Jackson was the keynote speaker at the Office of the Information Commission's annual data conference underway at the AC Marriott Hotel in New Kingston.