Premier being ‘hoodwinked’ with Cybercrime bill — Walwyn
Sixth District Representative Myron Walwyn has raised serious concerns regarding the proposed amendments to the Computer Misuse and Cyber Crime (Amendment) Bill, 2025, describing aspects of the bill as “unlawful” and highlighting risks to constitutional rights.
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley said numerous gaps in the current Act severely limit law enforcement’s investigatory powers, which has also undermined matters before the Court.
He also referenced the Mutual Evaluation Report (MER), which requires urgent revision to the current legislation.
“Immediate outcome seven of the MER reveals that amendments to the Computer Misuse and Cyber Crime Act are vital to the enhancement of our current investigative and prosecutorial tools,” Dr Wheatley said.
No public consultation
However, Walwyn criticised the government’s haste in advancing the legislation, condemning the government’s “1,2,3 approach” to passing bills that have significant implications on the fundamental rights and freedoms of the people of the BVI without public input. “What we are doing in this House is wrong, “Walwyn stated. “The Premier should not be doing this without public consultation. “
He emphasised the need for clarity and fairness in lawmaking, pointing out flaws in the proposed bill. “Offences, particularly of a criminal nature, must be precisely defined by statute,” he stated. He warned against using common law references in the bill, noting, “You are offending the principle of certainty in law, and there must be certainty in law.”
Citing a High Court judgement, Walwyn argued that the proposed amendments are being used to circumvent judicial limitations previously identified in the Cybercrime Act. “This Act is not about cybercrime or mutual evaluation. It is to correct the errors in this case. It has nothing to do with mutual evaluation,” Walwyn argued. He also accused the government of failing to understand the implications of the amendments, stating, “The Premier got up reading that foolishness without even checking to see that he’s being hoodwinked.”
Police can collect your personal passwords
A key issue Walwyn highlighted was the provision granting police the authority to compel individuals to provide passwords or electronic keys for their devices. He argued this contravenes constitutional rights, specifically the right to remain silent and freedom from self-incrimination. “A person cannot be compelled to produce evidence which may have the potential to incriminate him,” he said, referencing legal precedents.
Walwyn also expressed concerns about the potential for police overreach, stating that allowing authorities to seize and search personal devices without clear justification opens the door to abuse. “You are playing with the fundamental rights of our people,” he warned, adding that such practices would erode public trust in law enforcement.
The legislator urged his colleagues to prioritise public interest and constitutional integrity. “We must ensure the law is fair,” Walwyn stated. He also called for improved police training, advocating for “professional development” over what he described as “bending the law.”
“We are rushing bills through the house that have legal implications that will get struck down when it goes to court because you are not paying attention,” he added.
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You see myron is for the fundamental rights of the citizens of this country and is qualified to be the premier but you all won’t give him a chance because of the so called island man thing.
i completely agree.. i dont know why tortola people so “racist” to their own when really and truly tortola aint have not a thing over these other islands but the U.S dollar!!!!.. i know a guy was dealing with this girl and her father didnt like him so he went to try get him deported but they guy from right here but the funny thing is that same man father is from down island
Myron is more than qualified to be Premier.
Myron is way smarter than all of them put together. Myron have leadership and visionary skills.I would agree as well, Myron is more than qualified to run the Territory.
Many agree but they will receive the same result they got when he tried to run for Premiership. Let’s those with ears hear; you don’t have to be the Premier in order to make a difference.
Leave them Hon. Walwyn. We the ppl gon make them pay in court. If you think DPP losing now, just wait.
These constitutional protections are not absolute. A lot of the comments in the HoA seem to overlook that fact.
They can’t be if a society is to protect itself from serious organised crime; or indeed terrorism.
The same privacy arguments could be made against physical search warrants, but we have had those for years; quite correctly.
It is interesting in the BVI how the opposition seem to think its electorally attractive to be seen to be opposing more effective investigative powers.
To me that highlights the extent to which organised drug trafficking and the laundering of the proceeds of that crime are embedded in BVI society.
THE WHOLE WORLD WAS BUILT FROM DIRTY MONEY
I guess that attitude is why we have our ex Premier and ex Director of Ports in US prisons, a CoI report and illegal firearms being used by low level criminals.
That depends on far these powers go, do they require a court order to demand access to personal electronic devices or will the police have blanket authority to seize and examine any personal electronic device? If you don’t see a real difference then I sincerely hope you represent a tiny fraction of the population!
They don’t. They don’t concern themselves with the difference until it directly disenfranchises them.
Reason why we are in the state we are.
Do you guys query where the funding comes from when these people ‘pop up’ in the BVI with these big fancy yachts? NO! They are whites from overseas so they ‘Must’ have clean money, right? You sound so STUPID! Everywhere in the world has drugs, EVERYWHERE so stop trying to make it seem as if BVI is hell. From a proportionate view, most people here smoke a bit of weed and that’s it, the coke only transitions via the BVI and so what as long as they make their money and don’t kill eachother. The problem with many of you is seeing so many brown people with assets on a tiny island because where you are from, brown people are just low paid workers. Get used to it because this is OURS and we aren’t going anywhere!!
The issue at hand is a very sensitive one but as another blogger said, the courts will decide. People are becoming smarter and the Lawyers will have a field day with these stupid rushed laws. They want to broaden laws so that they can go on fishing expeditions on the people they don’t like but they will get a rude awakening. Everyone know who the real criminals are, just get them. Further, when will something be done about the waste of time DPP?
Myron paid consultant is at it again. Nuff paid blogs but couldn’t pay enough to keep him from being charged.
Intelligence huh moron I mean myron.
If your not a criminal you have nothing yo worry about
This is the most naive and immature comment I have ever seen. I hope you are young so we could chalk it up to that. If you are an old person and talking this nonsense then you’re hopeless.
lol going to cook himself when they use this bill to root out the corruption and implant their own corruption
People without law degrees are not qualified to be sat in the House as legislators. Please can this become law ASAP. It is costing this territory! Where is the common sense. This is scary!!
Not necessarily. An understanding of Law and its principles would suffice. Not all lawyers are brilliant and wouldn’t want to live in a country governed by strictly legal professionals. That in of itself would be quite frightening to say the least! As for this rushed Bill, updates are way overdue but not at the cost of losing our civil liberties!
I concur that a RIPA (UK equivalent body) should have been part of the Act with former judges, senior crown counsels and legal professionals deciding on these warrants/invasions of privacy under the guises of intel gathering.
More to be fleshed out and revisions needed ASAP!
THAT CAN ONLY BE THE WANNABE JUDGE WIGGIE , HIS DAD WAS FROM ANTIGUA , YET THIS NI**AH TELLING PEOPLE GO BACK WHERE THEY COME FROM , HE GOT SOME SERIOUS PROBLEMS GOING ON IN HIS HEAD , – HE BETTER CHANGE HIS MEDICATION , OR LOOKS LIKE WHAT SKELIE THE ” ALOOF ONE ” SAID ABOUT THE DREDDED ( COI ) MAYBE THE SIDE EFFECTS AFFECTING HIM , OR ITS HIS PRECIOUS WIG
Especially so when the Police force evidently has corrupt officers working in it.
The changes bring us in line with International norms and standards – what on earth is Myron so frightened of!
So bring us in line with international standards while eroding our human rights. Do you people think before you talk?
We can all see and know how brilliant Hon. Walwyn is as it is obvious listening to every speech and watching his dedication to District 6. Unfortunately, he lacked something that is costing us all in this Territory, patience. Our country would have been in a different place today had he exercised just a bit of patience. You see, to many, many of us, Honourable Skelton was the natural progressive leader after Dr. Smith as love him or hate him, things were being built and we progressed when he was the Minister of Finance. And Hon. Walwyn’s time would have been right now to be handed the baton, but he played chess and we all lost. We would not have had the dreaded COI and the arrest of Andrew Fahie, the failing infrastructure and so many other things if he had just waited his turn. I hope he takes time to reflect for we do not see him as an island man. He is ours, but we would have been further if he had just waited for his turn to come. Instead we have all the energy, all the love for country, all the brilliance, all the know how sitting in the Opposition, what can we say. Just a waste.
Natural progression aka entitlement. If you have an election and somebody wins then the others should be mature and respectful enough to not take up their marbles and go elsewhere. That smacks of entitlement. Instead of saying Walwyn didn’t exercise patient, you should be saying that Skelton’s behaviour especially for a senior in our community was very poor.
was myron hoodwinked with the great wall or he do that all by himself? asking for a friend …
Looking forward to the police getting hold passwords of some of these Ministers phones. We’d find out how much time [they] spend getting advice from criminal friends like Fahie. His photo still hanging in shame in the HOA? Time to get the picture of him in hancuffs up there.
YOU GOT IT RIGHT , THATS YOUR TAKE ) KEEP IT TO YOURSELF , THE YIME IS NOW , WALWYN WAS THE RIGHG PERSON BUT , XENOPHOBIA AND CONCEITEDNESS IS WHAT KILLING US , UNITY IS STRENGTH , IF THEY HAD ACCEPTED HIM AND WORKED TOGETHER WITH INTEGRITY , IN THE BEST
INTEREST OF THE COUNTRY AND ITS PEOPLE, WE COULD OF BEEN BETTER OFF , / THE COI WASN’T HIS FAULT THAT ANDY GOT STUNG , THAT WAS HIS OWN DOING / AND WHATS WRONG WITH WHAT WAS UNVOVERED BY THE COI ❓️ . THOSE WITH CLEAN HANDS HAS NOTHING TO FEAR , WHOSE FAUL IT IS THAT WE ARE HAVING ALL THE KILLINGS , GUNS DRUGS AND CORRUPTION ❓️ DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH AND POINT YOUR FINGER IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION , IF YOU ARE REALLY SERIOUS ABOUT WHATS REALLY GOING ON IN THE COUNTRY AND WHAT IT IS BECOMING