Update : 10:22 pm July 25 2019 : more websites defaced – at least 11 as of 9:30 PM – see https://www.ttcs.tt/2019/07/25/five-more-trinidad-and-tobago-government-websites-defaced-11-websites-defaced-as-of-930-pm-local-tt-time
At least four more government websites, ag.gov.tt , moe.gov.tt, nedco.gov.tt and tatt.org.tt were defaced by the same person or persons who defaced immigration.gov.tt and nationalsecurity.gov.tt with NSFW messages.
At least two government websites, immigration.gov.tt and nationalsecurity.gov.tt were defaced earlier today by “VandaTheGod”. Screenshots of the defaced websites were posted under the @VandaTheGod handle on Twitter.
The two websites are no longer reachable as they have (presumably) been taken offline.
(Update : 9.21 : updated headline to be more accurate)
As noted in an article in the July 24 2019 Trinidad Guardian newspaper, The Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT), in partnership with the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU), is launching the Subsidised Accessible Devices project for persons with disabilities in Trinidad and Tobago.
The project is described as providing mobile handsets to hearing impaired and visually impaired persons (over 18 years) in Trinidad and Tobago that meet certain criteria. According to TATT’s Deputy Chairperson Dr Kim Mallalieu, the pilot phase of the Subsidised Accessible Devices Project will be from from September to December 2019 with a full rollout from January 2020 to September 2021.
Such subsided handsets will have access to the Caribbean Video Assistance Service (CVAS). CVAS is a collaboration between the CTU and VTCSecure which, according to the CTU :
“…provides a video relay service (VRS) for deaf, hard of hearing and speech impaired sign language users, and video assistance for the blind or the visually impaired. This service enables the deaf not only to call each other and communicate directly, but also to speak with agents (sign language interpreters), who relay conversations between them and hearing parties. The agents will also assist blind users, enabling them to resolve issues for which they need the assistance of a sighted person.”
Here’s a 2017 YouTube video by the CTU demonstrating the use of CVAS. In the video, a blind person uses his smartphone to contact an agent who helps the blind person to read his medication labels he is supposed to take and guide him through the building to a specific room.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN ) will be having its 65th public meeting from Monday 24 June 2019 to Thursday March 27 2019 in Marrakech, Morocco. However, you can listen in and participate remotely.
As the name implies, ICANN helps coordinate the assignment and management of Internet numbering resources (such as IP addresses) and domain names (forming a system called the Domain Name System or DNS). The DNS maps domain names to IP addresses.
ICANN also defines and implements policies for how the “Names and Numbers” of the Internet are assigned. ICANN coordinates policy development related to the DNS by bringing a variety of stakeholders (ranging from governments, technical, business, civil society) organised in various groups to develop and advise on such DNS policies. This volunteer-based group of diverse stakeholders is called the ICANN multi-stakeholder community.
The Trinidad and Tobago Computer Society (TTCS) is an member of the ICANN At-Large Community since 2006, which represents the interests of Internet end users in ICANN policies and activities. Currently, as the TTCS’ At-Large representative (Dev Anand Teelucksingh), I have continued to be involved in various At-Large activities. I do want to encourage anyone with a interest and a desire to learn more about ICANN policy issues and how to get involved, email me at [email protected] and I’ll try my best to help.
Some important links to help you learn more and follow the #ICANN64 meeting :
When you select a meeting on the ICANN65 Full Meeting Schedule , you will see something like this :
You will see on the left under the short description are several grey buttons:
Note that not all meetings will have so many different language options, but all would have at least the English audio stream and the Zoom “room”
You can install Zoom on your computer or mobile device at https://zoom.us/download
Massy Stores in Trinidad and Tobago announced, in collaboration with United Way Trinidad and Tobago’s Day of Caring Initiative and Piranha International that you can bring glass, plastics and certain electronic waste (e-waste) to selected Massy Stores for recycling on Sunday May 26 2019.
According to the Massy Stores poster/ad, E-waste items you may bring to Massy Stores Gulf View and Massy Stores Maraval ONLY
NO large items such as televisions, large monitors or desktops will be collected. Also the Massy Stores ad mentions a maximum of 3 items per person.
The Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT) will be hosting its ICT Open Forum titled “Consumer Power in the Telecommunications and Broadcasting Sectors” on Thursday May 23rd from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm at TATT Office #5 Eighth Avenue Extension, off Twelfth Street, Barataria.
Quoting from the TATT flyer :
YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW!
THIS FORUM IS FOR YOU! COME LET’S DISCUSS THE POWER YOU HAVE AS A CONSUMER!
Hear about consumer protection initiatives from:
TALK TO YOUR REGULATOR!
TELL US ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCES!
MAKE YOUR SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF SERVICE THAT YOU RECEIVE AS CONSUMERS!
The event is free to attend but persons wishing to attend this Forum must contact Ms. Mubiyna Abdullah-Muhammad or Mr. Rowle Harvey via e-mail at [email protected] or telephone at 675-8288 Ex 394 or Ext 349
The UWI Faculty of Science and Technology (FST) is hosting its Science and Technology Week (https://www.fstweek2019.com/) from May 20 to 24 2019 at the Teaching and Learning Complex, UWI, St Augustine Campus.
Science and Technology Week will highlight on-going research in Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) at the Faculty and its contributions to the community. This year’s theme ‘SCIENCE IN COMMUNITIES’ showcases the collaboration amongst departments, the UWI, industry and communities and complements the Faculty’s drive of supporting partnerships, not only in Trinidad and Tobago, but also regionally and internationally.
The Science in Communities theme will explore work done at the FST and its contributions in the following key areas:
Activities in this week will consist of:
See https://www.fstweek2019.com/schedule for full details of the speakers and presentations for each day.
Attendance to the 5 day event is free but registration is recommended at FST’s Science and Technology Week website at https://www.fstweek2019.com/ .
The Trinidad and Tobago Computer Society will be having a booth at Science and Technology Week. So, we need volunteers at the Booth! There are morning and afternoon slots for the 5 days.
Please fill out the TTCS booth signup sheet and let us know when you can be at the booth.
The TTCS OSSWIN v2.50, a collection of the latest version of Free and Open Source Software for Microsoft Windows 10/8/7 is available for download. The latest release features many software updates including the additions of Candy Crisis and SuperTuxKart.
Visit the TTCS OSSWIN page at https://www.ttcs.tt/osswin for more details and to download the 6GB collection as an ISO file for extracting to your harddrive or USB storage device.
Note that you can also browse TTCS OSSWIN online at http://ttcsosswin.ttcs.tt/ which features the web interface to learn about Free and Open Source programs in various categories, including screenshots or videos of the programs and a link to the program’s website where you can download the program. The web based UI is responsive, meaning it should be usable on non-Windows small screen mobile phones and tablets.
The Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standards (TTBS) is inviting comments on the proposed draft Voluntary National Standards for Information Security Management Systems.
These draft Voluntary National Standards comprise three documents, all based on the International Standards Organisation /
International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) 27000 series of standards which were reviewed by the TTBS’ National Technical Committee for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and now posted for public comment.
The Trinidad and Tobago Computer Society (TTCS ; https://ttcs.tt) is a member of the National Technical Committee for ICT which was formed in late 2018.
Here are the three documents for comments, along with links to view the document and a comment form to submit comments to the TTBS on the document. The closing date for comments is June 17 2019.
PCTTS/ISO/IEC 27001:20XX specifies the requirements for establishing, implementing, maintaining and continually improving an information security management system within the context of the organization. It also includes requirements for the assessment and treatment of information security risks tailored to the needs of the organization. The requirements set out in this document are generic and are intended to be applicable to all organizations, regardless of type, size or nature. Based on ISO/IEC 27001:2013
PCTTS/ISO/IEC 27002:20XX gives guidelines for organizational information security standards and information security management practices including the selection, implementation and management of controls taking into consideration the organization’s information security risk environment(s). It is designed to be used by organizations that intend to:
Based on ISO/IEC 27002:2013
PCTTS/ISO/IEC 27003:20XX provides explanation and guidance on PCTTS/ISO/IEC 27001:20XX. Based on ISO/IEC 27003:2017
The 15th annual Caribbean Internet Governance Forum (CIGF2019) organized by the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) is taking place from the 2nd to 3rd May 2018 at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad, Wrightson Road, Trinidad and Tobago.
CIGF2019 has a provisional agenda and persons will be able to watch at http://www.ctu.int/15CIGF . You can register for CIGF2019 online.
However, the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of its formation and the 15th Anniversary of the Caribbean Internet Governance Forum with a week of ICT-related activities from 29th April to 3rd May 2019, at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad in Trinidad and Tobago. Included in the week’s activities are a Prime Ministerial Summit and a Ministerial Strategic ICT Seminar, are a Summit and a Ministerial Seminar, a workshop hosted by the International Telecommunication Union and a event called Caribbean FutureScape.
Caribbean FutureScape is a simulation of a confederation of 5 Caribbean countries whose governments have collaborated and cooperated to use information and communication technologies (ICT) to accelerate the social and economic development of their countries.
Its objectives, according to the Caribbean FutureScape Overview (PDF) document :
Check out the Caribbean FutureScape event page for more details and to register for the event.
The Caribbean Internet Governance Forum (CIGF) is a regional, multi-stakeholder forum initiated by the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat in 2005 to coordinate a regional approach to Internet Governance (IG), initially focusing on the proceedings of the United Nations’ World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). The forum has since met annually and has delivered significant and pioneering benefits to the region as well as to the global Internet community. Highlights of its work include formulation of a Caribbean Internet Governance Policy Framework; the proliferation of Internet exchange points (IXPs); capacity building in IG Principles and best practices;and growth in Caribbean influence in international IG fora.
