Cyber Crime Bill seeks to outlaw cyber-bullying; protect reputation, privacy

Last Updated on Monday, 28 December 2015, 23:08 by Written By Denis Chabrol

The Cyber Crime Act will also outlaw the use of computers to coerce, intimidate or harass another person with intent to cause emotional distress or cyber-bully, intentionally or recklessly, another person.

The law defines “cyberbully” as the use of a computer system repeatedly or continuously to convey information which causes fear, intimidation, humiliation, distress or other harm to another person; or detriment to another person’s health, emotional well-being, self-esteem or reputation.

The law also makes an offence the use of a computer system to disseminate any information, statement or image, knowing the same to be false and damages the reputation of another person; or subjects another person to public ridicule, contempt, hatred or embarrassment, commits an offence.

Also being made an offence is the intentional or reckless use of a computer system to disseminate any information, statement or image and exposes the private affairs of another person, thereby subjecting that other person to public ridicule, contempt, hatred or embarrassment, commits an offence.

According to the draft Cyber Crime law , any person who uses a computer system with the intent to extort abenefit from another person by threatening to publish computer data containing personal or private information which can cause public ridicule, contempt, hatred or embarrassment commits an offence.

If found guilty for any of the above-mentioned offences, a person on summary conviction will be fined GYD$3 million dollars and imprisonment for three years or on conviction on indictment fined GYD$5 million dollars and imprisonment for five years.