The revelations at Wednesday’s meeting of the Public Accounts Committee regarding the Support Jamaica website are deeply concerning and raise serious questions about governance, cybersecurity, data protection, and accountability.

The Committee learned that the platform, created after Hurricane Melissa to provide relief information and facilitate donations, is not owned by the Government of Jamaica. By February 2026, approximately $1.4 billion had been donated through the platform. The Committee was also informed that the private entity that developed the website retains ownership and has access to donor information.

More concerning, the Committee learned that assurances published on the ODPEM website regarding data protection compliance, the appointment of a Data Protection Officer, and privacy safeguards were not accurate. The Auditor General’s report further indicated that information provided to the public regarding data privacy, access to donor information, and related safeguards could not be substantiated.

This raises serious concerns about public trust. Jamaicans must be able to rely on official government platforms to provide accurate information and to ensure that their personal data and contributions are properly protected.

Quite concerningly, the Auditor General’s report and the discussions at the Committee also revealed the absence of independent cybersecurity assurances, such as those typically provided through a SOC 2 Type II certification. This further heightens concerns about whether appropriate security controls and oversight were in place for a platform handling sensitive donor information and approximately $1.4 billion in contributions.

These concerns are particularly alarming given Jamaica’s growing cyber threat environment, with reported attacks increasing from approximately 12 million in 2022 to 49 million in 2025. In today’s digital environment, cybersecurity governance is not optional; it is a fundamental requirement.

The situation also raises a fundamental question: why was a platform of such national importance and sensitivity not developed, owned, and managed by government-employed technology professionals from the outset? If the Government does not have the internal capacity to design and secure a platform of this nature, that represents a significant gap that must be urgently addressed.

The Opposition is therefore calling on the Government, the Office of the Prime Minister, ODPEM, and the ministry responsible for digital transformation to urgently resolve the outstanding issues relating to ownership, data protection, access controls, cybersecurity safeguards, and accountability.

The Jamaican people deserve confidence that government digital platforms entrusted with their information and contributions are secure, transparent, and accountable.