Officials of the US government are engaging the Guyanese authorities on cybercrime issues and solutions.
Today, a meeting was hosted between the Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the U.S. Department of Justice Richard W. Downing, Cybersecurity Program Manager from the Secretariat of the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism, Organization of America States (OAS), Kerry-Ann Barrett, a team of Department of Justice (DOJ) cyber experts and Guyanese security and government officials.
At a meeting held today, the US embassy said issues related to cyber security solutions were discussed.
The visiting officials engaged Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Forign Affairs, Ambassador Elisabeth Harper, along with representatives from the Office of Director of Public Prosecutions, the Ministry of Legal Affairs and the Attorney General’s chambers, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Guyana Police Force.
The US government team encouraged Guyana’s accession to the Budapest Convention, or the Convention on Cybercrime, which would offer additional resources to strengthen domestic capacity for law enforcement responses when combatting cybercrime.
The embassy said the crucial step will help Guyana combat cyber threats as it undergoes a major economic transformation.
Additionally, the Department of Justice cyber team, in conjunction with the OAS, offered technical support toward the development of national cyber security frameworks to combat cybercrimes, especially in the security and energy sectors. The team proposed similar support to CARICOM countries.
In addition to the visit by DOJ, the U.S. Southern Command and Florida National Guard will send a cyber defense assessment team to Guyana this week, with the goal of sharing best practices with the Guyana Defence Force to protect military networks from cyber-attacks.
According to the embassy, the visits by the US Department of Justice and the US Southern Command, highlight the concerted efforts of the US to assist Guyana in establishing and developing a strong cyber security defense to support future development.
While Guyana has cybercrime legislation in place, there have been complaints that it is often used by the current government to silence its critics and opposition members. The APNU+AFC Opposition has repeatedly complained about the abuse of the legislation.
Just last weekend, a US Congressional team visited Guyana for discussions with the Government and Opposition on a wide range of issues.
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