July 29, 2026

ODPEM assures corrective action directed regarding Support Jamaica Platform

The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) has assured that corrective action has been directed and outstanding governance and administrative measures are being addressed as it relates to the Support Jamaica platform.

ODPEM’s board acknowledged that the agency has a responsibility to strengthen its access management, data protection, reconciliation and public reporting arrangements.

This is in the wake of concern about the website following certain disclosures made by Director General Commander Alvin Gayle at Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee Meeting last week.

In a statement, the board pointed out that the developer, Amber, provided the technology, hosting and technical support for the platform.

It said the agreement provided that the associated government-controlled data would be migrated from Amber’s hosting environment to a government-designated environment.

Amber’s hosting role was always intended to be temporary and technical.

ODPEM acknowledged that it did not complete the migration as agreed and accepts responsibility for the delay.

The board has directed that the process commence immediately, subject to the necessary technical and security feasibility, and be undertaken in a controlled manner that protects the continuity of the platform, the integrity of donor, volunteer and transaction records, and continued authorised access.

ODPEM said it has retained access to, and operational control over, the information collected through the platform.

As the data controller, ODPEM determines how donor and volunteer information is used and processed.

Amber acts as the data processor under a legally binding data processing agreement; Amber does not own the data.

Amber’s technical access is restricted to software maintenance, hosting support, system updates and cybersecurity monitoring, all subject to role-based permissions, the principle of least privilege and system audit trails.

ODPEM said the agreement did not require formal SOC 2 certification but required and received security safeguards aligned with the SOC 2 trust services criteria, which address the security, availability and confidentiality of information systems.

ODPEM has received no report of a security breach, data compromise or unauthorised disclosure of donor or volunteer information through the platform.

ODPEM expressed appreciation to Amber for stepping forward during an unprecedented national crisis to develop critical digital infrastructure and for continuing to provide technical support while the platform is transferred to a government hosting environment.