Media association concerned about Data Protection Act provisions

The Media Association Jamaica Limited (MAJ) is to appear today before the Joint Select Committee in Parliament examining the Data Protection Act, to voice concerns about the negative effects it believes the proposed law will have on the gathering and production of journalistic content.

In a letter to the clerk of the houses of Parliament, chairman of MAJ, Christopher Barnes, expressed deep concern about what he said  is the chilling effects the practical application will have on press freedom as well as the additional administrative burden it could place on media houses in carrying out their work.

The MAJ argues against a draft provision that any information requested by the proposed Information Commissioner, must be handed over.

The MAJ contends that this could remove the journalist’s or media house's ability to protect the identity of their sources.

Another concern highlighted by the MAJ is that, under the proposed legislation, a description of the personal data being processed is to be registered before being published.

The MAJ contends that, given the nature of the media business, it could prove very onerous if media were to be asked, on each instance that it handles personal data, to provide registration particulars, before the information can be processed.

The concerns expressed bear some similarity to those raised by the Press Association of Jamaica (PAJ) whose President Dionne Jackson Miller, in addressing the committee last week, called for the practice of journalism to be excluded from the Act.

The Act which was tabled in House of Representatives last October seeks to safeguard the privacy of individuals through the regulation of usage, disclosure and collection of data.