Barbadian Minister Warns of Cybersecurity Threats Due to Inadequate Digital Safety Awareness

Poor understanding of digital safety among Barbadians is undermining efforts to strengthen the nation’s cybersecurity infrastructure, the Minister of Industry, Innovation, Science, and Technology has warned.

Speaking at a panel discussion on digital safety on Wednesday, Marsha Caddle emphasised that whilst the government remains committed to enhancing its cybersecurity capabilities to protect citizens’ data, there is an urgent need to educate the public about proper data management practices.

“I think most important [to] the cyber hygiene of your institution and of the country, is the people. What are the steps, what are the practices that individuals and organisations take every day to make sure that your last line of defence, the people who are using the software working in the institutions understand the risks and do not take unnecessary risks with information,” Caddle told attendees at the Staying Safe in a Digital World event, organised by several financial institutions.

She expressed concern that many citizens continue to treat password security and authentication systems casually, displaying a worrying lack of vigilance in their online behaviour.

“There is this notion that the Internet is a place where knowledge happens, and so I will click on something and I will start to understand… not realising that that is one of the easiest ways to get access to things people should not have access to,” she explained.

Whilst highlighting the government’s planned Tier Three data centre, scheduled for completion within three years, Caddle cautioned that the facility’s enhanced secure storage capabilities could be compromised without improved public awareness of personal data security.

“If we are going to say to people ‘keep your data with us’, it means that job number one is our cybersecurity efforts. A big part of that is knowing which information you have, what is on your servers, if you lose this information, do you know what you have lost?” she said.

“We can spend all the money on protection and other things, we can go where the technology is going and have intelligent systems that are going to tell us [data has been compromised], but the real investment that needs to be made is in training and learning and awareness raising about how to stay safe.”

The panel discussion also heard from Marilyn Rice-Bowen, president of the Barbados Association of Retired Persons (BARP), who advocated for targeted digital safety education for senior citizens.

She said: “As Barbados moves closer to the year 2050, when it is projected that half of the population will be 65 and older, educational and modelling good online practices across all generations can protect privacy, increase safety of self-information and money. We view today’s panel’s discussion as a step in the right direction, as it fits in neatly with our efforts to build awareness, and teach members how to use the net safely.”

(SB)