Introduction HIPCAR – Cybercrime/e-Crimes participation representing different sectors allowed the project to benefit from a cross-section of views and interests. The Working Groups also include representatives from relevant regional bodies (CARICOM Secretariat, CTU, ECTEL and CANTO) and observers from other interested entities in the region (e.g. civil society, the private sector, operators, academia, etc.). The Working Groups have been responsible for covering the following two work areas: 1. ICT Policy and Legislative Framework on Information Society Issues, dealing with six subareas: e-commerce (transactions and evidence), privacy & data protection, interception of communications, cybercrime, and access to public information (freedom of information). 2. ICT Policy and Legislative Framework on Telecommunications, dealing with three sub-areas: universal access/service, interconnection, and licensing in a convergent environment. The reports of the Working Groups published in this series of documents are structured around these two main work areas. 1.3. Project Implementation and Content The project’s activities were initiated through a Project Launch Roundtable organized in Grenada, on 15-16 December 2008. To date, all of the HIPCAR beneficiary countries – with the exception Haiti – along with the project’s partner regional organizations, regulators, operators, academia, and civil society have participated actively in HIPCAR events including – in addition to the project launch in Grenada – regional workshops in Trinidad & Tobago, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Suriname and Barbados. The project’s substantive activities are being led by teams of regional and international experts working in collaboration with the Working Group members, focusing on the two work areas mentioned above. During Stage I of the project – just completed – HIPCAR has: 1. Undertaken assessments of the existing legislation of beneficiary countries as compared to international best practice and in the context of harmonization across the region; and 2. Drawn up model policy guidelines and model legislative texts in the above work areas, from which national ICT policies and national ICT legislation/regulations can be developed. It is intended that these proposals shall be validated or endorsed by CARICOM/CTU and country authorities in the region as a basis for the next phase of the project. Stage II of the HIPCAR project aims to provide interested beneficiary countries with assistance in transposing the above models into national ICT policies and legislation tailored to their specific requirements, circumstances and priorities. HIPCAR has set aside funds to be able to respond to these countries’ requests for technical assistance – including capacity building – required for this purpose. 1.4. Overview of the Six HIPCAR Model Policy Guidelines and Legislative Texts Dealing with Information Society Issues Countries worldwide as well as in the Caribbean are looking for ways to develop legal frameworks addressing the needs of information societies with a view to leveraging the growing ubiquity of the World Wide Web as a channel for service delivery, ensuring a safe environment and the processing power of information systems to increase business efficiency and effectiveness. The Information Society is based on the premise of access to information and services and utilizing automated processing systems to enhance service delivery to markets and persons anywhere in the world. For both users and businesses the information society in general and the availability of information and communication technology (ICT) offers unique opportunities. As the core imperatives of commerce 2 > Model Policy Guidelines & Legislative Text