MINISTER without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister responsible for Science, Technology and Special Projects Dr Andrew Wheatley, on Tuesday conceded that the Opposition’s concerns about delays in updating Jamaica’s cyber laws were valid, promising that future reforms would be reviewed more frequently to keep pace with fast-moving digital threats.

The acknowledgment came as the Bill to amend the Cybercrimes Act was approved in the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

In the previous sitting when the debate on the Bill was opened in the House, Opposition members argued that the almost three-year wait to amend the Cybercrimes Act had left Jamaica dangerously behind the curve, contending that criminals had already adapted to new technologies while Parliament was still reviewing old provisions. They maintained that by the time the legislation reached the chamber, many of the threats it sought to address had evolved beyond its scope.

They also raised concerns that the long drafting period demonstrated a failure to treat cybercrime with the urgency it required, pointing out that artificial intelligence tools, online fraud schemes and digital impersonation had advanced rapidly since the Joint Select Committee gave its recommendations in 2023.

Responding as he closed the debate, Wheatley told the House that the Government accepted those criticisms, acknowledging that the delay between the committee’s recommendations and the tabling of the Bill had been too long.

The minister, however, sought to explain the complexity of the legislative process, arguing that cyber reform required far more than simply inserting new offences into the statute books.

“Cybercrime reform is not a simple drafting exercise. It requires careful alignment of enforcement powers, prosecutorial practicality, constitutional safeguards, and coherence with other laws, especially where the amendments touch issues like consent, privacy, public interest and sensitive data,” Wheatley explained.

Opposition members had insisted that technology was moving at a pace Parliament could not afford to ignore, pointing to the rise of AI-generated images, online extortion and anonymous smear campaigns as evidence that criminals were exploiting legal loopholes. They argued that the country could not continue to rely on long review cycles while digital platforms evolved almost monthly.

Wheatley told legislators that the Government had taken those warnings on board and would adopt a more flexible approach going forward.

“The Government accepts the broader point. Technology moves quickly and the law must not be allowed to move slowly, and we are committed to more continuous review rather than the long cycles between updates,” he said.