A national conference on cyber security got underway yesterday at the Regency Suites.
The Government Information Agency said that the two-day forum is being held under the auspices of the Ministry of Home Affairs and seeks to heighten awareness of the dangers of cyber crimes among others.
Head of the Presidential Secretariat and Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon said that the initiative by Government must be lauded since it would allow for the smooth flow of information via the internet.
Dr Luncheon pointed out that like many other developing countries, Guyana has recognised that the proper management of information is the way to go. As such, a significant amount of resources has been invested into training youths in ICT.
“The state policy is to make so many people at all ages literate so that the penetration and those who are committed to perverting the use of ICT for other purposes, will not be apart of a juvenile and illiterate environment,” Dr. Luncheon declared.
Representative of the Organisation of American States, George Soares, according to GINA, said that world wide the dependence of IT has been increasing and as such, persons are being faced with new types of crimes committed through technologies. He noted that the international banking system has been severely hit by cyber fraud and as such, cautioned that if Guyana does not install safeguards, it could also be affected.
“It is an honour for me to be part of this event since it is the aim of the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism to coordinate efforts to assist the OAS in defeating terrorism worldwide,” Soares said, according to GINA.
Also in attendance at the forum were- Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee; Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack; Head of the Private Sector Commission, Ramesh Dookhoo, Director of Prisons and Chief Fire Officer, Dale Erskine and Marlon Gentle respectively.
