Licensee’s confidentiality agreement

(1) Every licensee and his employees and agents shall treat as confidential any telecommunication message or any information relating to a telecommunication message which comes to his or their knowledge in the course of his or their (2) Any person who otherwise than in the course of his duties as an employee or agent of a licensee, interferes with, makes use of, or records, the contents or substance of a telecommunication message commits an offence and shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding five thousand dollars or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, or to both such fine and imprisonment. (3) (a) Nothing in this Act shall prevent a judge in Chambers, upon an application, whether ex parte or otherwise, being made to him by the Director of Public Prosecutions, from making an order authorising a public operator, or any of its employees or agent, to intercept, withhold or disclose to the police, a telecommunications message. (b) An order under paragraph (a) shall– (i) not be made unless the Judge is satisfied that relating to the telecommunication message is material to any criminal proceedings, whether pending or contemplated, in Belize; (ii) remain valid for such period, not exceeding sixty days, as the judge may determine; (iii) specify the place where the interception or withholding shall take place; (iv) be made upon application supported by affidavit. 44 (4) Any personal information of a subscriber shall be confidential and shall not be disseminated or used without the subscriber’s consent or a court order under this Act or any other law. (5) The Minister may, after consultation with the PUC, give to a public operator such directions of a general character as appear to the Minister to be requisite or expedient in the interests of national security or relations with the government of a country or territory outside Belize. (6) If it appears to the Minister to be requisite or expedient to do so in the interest of national security or relations with the government of a country or territory outside Belize, he may, after consultation with the PUC, give to a public operator a direction requiring him (according to the circumstances of the case) to do, or not to do, a particular thing specified in the direction. (7) A public operator shall give effect to any direction given to him by the Minister under this section notwithstanding any other duty imposed on him by or under this Act. (8) A person shall not disclose or be required by virtue of any enactment or otherwise to disclose anything done by virtue of this section if the Minister, after consultation with the PUC, has notified him that the Minister is of the opinion that disclosure of that thing is against the interests of national security or relations with the government of a country or territory outside Belize, or the commercial interests of some other persons.