IN the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, as relief organisations and other agencies collect and process large volumes of personal and sensitive information about vulnerable and displaced persons, data privacy firm Securys (Jamaica) Limited has emphasised the need for this information to be handled securely and responsibly.

At a recently held webinar the global consultancy, in partnership with the Council of Voluntary Social Services (CVSS), examined the importance of protecting personal data in extraordinary circumstances — especially during natural disasters.

The virtual event, described as a first of its kind, was held under the organisations’ Privacy with Purpose initiative. It brought together leaders from the public, private and non-profit sectors to confront the urgent issue of data protection in times of peril — an area often overlooked in disaster response.

Samantha Wood Tolan, data protection officer and consultant at Securys, said that with the large volumes of sensitive data being handled during crisis situations, strict adherence to privacy practices must remain a priority.

“During times of disaster, as we think about data protection we have to also think about the reputational harm that people can suffer. Data is an essential commodity — it gives us the ability to provide support, and allows for quicker recovery — but privacy must be at the forefront of all that is being done,” she said.

Wood Tolan, in cautioning against the possibility of disaster-related data fraud taking place during periods of high distraction, flagged such activities as a serious concern which in some jurisdictions, she said, is prosecutable.

Information Commissioner Celia Barclay, in reminding participants at the webinar that privacy protections must continue even in times of crisis, emphasised that even well-intentioned relief efforts can create new harms if sensitive information is mismanaged.

“Privacy is paramount; it doesn’t pause when there’s a crisis and as such, no protection is never acceptable as even minimal protection is better than none at all,” she said while emphasising that individuals’ rights under the Data Protection Act remain in force, even in perilous situations.

Barclay noted that privacy issues are often heightened during crisis situations and that organisations must therefore be prepared to address potential breaches. She said that although Jamaica is generally hurricane-ready, the magnitude of the hurricane could, however, weigh on the timeliness of the response to the aforementioned breaches.

Nadine Spence, vice-president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, echoing similar sentiments pointed out that the responsibility to protect people’s data does not disappear during a disaster. Drawing from her own experience managing her organisation’s response amid damaged infrastructure and displaced staff, she also stressed the need for data protection to be part of the emergency response and not treated as an afterthought.

“Resilience isn’t built during the storm — it’s built long before it. Preparation, therefore, protects your people, your operations, and your future,” Spence told webinar participants.

In addition to raising awareness, the webinar offered practical guidance for organisations involved in disaster relief and recovery. Key recommendations included the implementation and testing of a disaster recovery plan, one that actively includes the secure digitisation and backup of records to keep essential information protected and accessible when physical systems fail.

There was also a call for only necessary personal information to be collected, which must be properly secured. Organisations were also urged to adopt privacy-by-design principles so as to embed privacy protections even with limited resources. Additionally, the forging of cross-sector partnerships was likewise recommended as a part of best practices aimed at building collective resilience and strengthening national capacity to manage data responsibly in emergencies.

With climate-related risks rising and disasters becoming more frequent, organisers said the Privacy with Purpose partnership between Securys and CVSS is not just timely but indispensable. The collaboration builds on earlier memorandum of understanding efforts to strengthen data protection practices across sectors, including support for local NGOs and other organisations navigating the requirements of the Data Protection Act.

“Our machines can break but our data must never break,” executive director of the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association (JMEA) Kamesha Blake, another panellist, said as she too stressed the crucial role of data protection in disaster preparedness and response.