Dear Editor,

The Jamcovid-19 issue with the American tech journalist is all over the news.

While I understand the importance of data protection, I have some concerns and questions about the whole matter.

I see Jamaicans online commending the American journalist for his “discovery”, but have we thought about how this same scenario would play out if a Jamaican journalist had uncovered a vulnerability on a US Government platform?

I am no expert in these things, but something tells me there would be less celebration and more repercussions.

In the past few years there have been countless stories about Russian, Iranian, and Chinese hackers breaching the security of US Government platforms. In all the cases, the US mercilessly pursued the perpetrators and promised a reckoning. So why aren’t Jamaicans asking for the same kind of treatment for this journalist?

The US is quick to meddle in the affairs of other countries, and I’m just saying suppose this was the other way around? Would the public act the same way if a local journalist breached government data in the same way? I think not.

Many would immediately assume there were political motives behind the revelation. So, why has no one questioned the motives of this man, an American, who has chosen to call out the Jamaican Government? And he has got very defensive; accusing the Government of being hostile towards him.

We have to stand with our people.

I am not defending Amber, nor am I defending the Jamaican Government, but it causes me to think that if one of our journalists was heavily scrutinising any of their government websites serious sanctions would have been done against him/her.

I am just genuinely curious: Why this targeting of the Jamcovid app and Amber?

Angelene Graham

angelenegraham@gmail.com