National ICT Strategic Plan Government of St Kitts and Nevis authentication. x Legislation should be established for the protection of privacy and personal data in all forms of electronic transactions in the private and public sectors. This includes the establishment of an independent agency, led by representatives of the public sector, private sector and civil society organisations with powers to take quick action in order to correct infringements. St Kitts and Nevis may further wish to follow the specifications that may help turn the region into a "safe harbour" in North American and European Union terms. x Legislation should be established in order to allow for the lawful acquisition, use, import and export of encryption programs or other encryption methods with due provision for national security and justice prerogatives. x Legislation should determine the taxation rules applying to the various forms of electronic commerce. These rules should to the extent possible be harmonised across the OECS if not the CARICOM countries. x Legislation should make provision for clear definition of the liabilities of Internet Service Providers, owners of Internet-based resources, providers of Internet-based services and Internet users at large, for information transmitted or transactions carried out over the Internet. It should adapt existing basic democratic, social and human rights to the new environment. It should put in place a regulatory and arbitration body representing all categories of stakeholders, that can take immediate action in order to correct a situation pending final judiciary decision, when appropriate. x Legislation needs to be developed with a view to reducing and punishing the new forms of crime that global ICT networks facilitate. This "cybercrime" legislation would better be harmonised if not unified among OECS member countries. It should further seek to be aligned as appropriate with comparable legislation in other countries. Since this is a domain in continuing transformation, a regional commission should be entrusted with its Ministry of Finance, Sustainable Development, Information and Technology November, 2006 31