Consultation opens on draft Cyber Law
Consultation opens on the draft Cyber Law
Jersey Cyber Security Centre (JCSC) is inviting members of the public to give their feedback on the draft Cyber Security (Jersey) Law via a two-week consultation. The consultation – which is open to the public and stakeholders who are directly affected by the Law – will run between and Monday 4 March and Sunday 17 March. (Update: the consultation period was extended by the Minister for Sustainable Economic Development and ended on 23 April 2024.)
If it is approved by the States Assembly later this year, the Cyber Security (Jersey) Law will establish JCSC as an independent organisation, and define our remit and functions.
The Law will also:
- establish JCSC as an independent advisory and emergency response body operating at arm’s length from regulators, law enforcement officers, and government
- change the funding model for the JCSC so that it becomes a grant-funded body
- require JCSC to produce an Annual Report and Strategic Plan, which should be available to the public
- require Operators of Essential Services (OES, as defined in the Law) to take appropriate steps to improve and secure their cyber security, and notify their customers and JCSC if they experience a significant cyber incident
Following the consultation, the results will be used to inform future drafts of the Law. The final draft of the Law will be debated by the States Assembly later this year.
This is the second public consultation on the Law. The previous consultation ran between December 2022 and January 2023 and the comments were used as part of the law drafting process.
To support individuals and organisations who want to take part, a range of briefing events are being held for organisations who will be directly affected by the Law:
- Cybersecurity professionals: Tuesday 27 February, 12pm – 1.30pm
- Operators of Critical National Infrastructure (CNI): Wednesday 6 March, 12pm – 1.30pm
- Operators of Essential Services: Friday 8 March, 8am – 9am
- Members of the public: Thursday 7 March, 5pm – 6.30pm, and Friday 8 March 12pm – 1.30pm.
All the briefings will take place at the JCSC Operations Centre at 1 Seaton Place, with an option for attendees to attend remotely via Microsoft Teams. Only people attending in person need to book a ticket via our Eventbrite page.
Matt Palmer, Director of Jersey Cyber Security Centre (JCSC) said: “Over the last year, we have worked with the Legislative Drafting Office (LDO) to develop a Law that provides the appropriate balance of autonomy and accountability.
“The consultation in 2022 and 2023 invited views on the principles of the Law: this consultation invites affected organisations and members of the public to provide their views on the substance of the Law. I would welcome any organisations or individuals who work – or are interested – in this area to respond to the consultation before Sunday 17 March, or attend a briefing.”
The consultation on the draft Cyber Security (Jersey) Law 20- is available online via the Government of Jersey website until Sunday 17 March 2024.
You can sign up to attend a briefing event via the JCSC Eventbrite page.