Foreign Surveillance Powerhouses Are Penetrating the Caribbean, “ Region Is Dangerously Unprepared”
1. Introduction: A Region Facing New Digital Threats
Across the Caribbean, quiet but consequential shifts are taking place in the realms of surveillance, digital identification, and law-enforcement technology. Governments across the region are grappling with persistently high rates of violent crime, ranging from 15 to 27 homicides per 100,000 people in countries such as Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, and The Bahamas, significantly above the global average of 6.1. These security pressures are compounded by limited forensic laboratories, outdated border-management systems, and chronic underinvestment in digital infrastructure.
Against this backdrop, foreign intelligence-linked companies, particularly from Israel and India, have begun positioning themselves as providers of innovative, “plug-and-play” surveillance solutions. These entities promise efficiency and modernization but introduce profound concerns surrounding sovereignty, data custody, privacy, digital dependency, and future human rights risks. With approximately 7.2 million people across CARICOM and an estimated 44 million across the wider Caribbean Basin, the region is becoming an increasingly attractive testing ground for advanced surveillance technology.
2. Israel as a Global Hub of Military-Grade Surveillance Exports
Israel is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading exporters of artificial intelligence, predictive surveillance systems, and military-grade cybersecurity tools. The country hosts more than 430 surveillance and cybersecurity companies, generating an estimated US$11 billion in exports in 2023. Prominent firms such as Corsight AI, Oosto (formerly AnyVision), Elbit Systems, and NSO Group have built reputations on producing some of the world’s most advanced facial recognition and biometric tracking tools.
Battle-Tested Technology and Ethical Controversy
Much of Israel’s industry is rooted in military testing. In the Occupied Palestinian Territories, systems such as “Blue Wolf” and “Red Wolf” are deployed to assemble biometric databases, track civilians in real time, and categorize individuals using AI algorithms. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have documented how these tools contribute to a highly intrusive surveillance regime, describing them as technologies that “entrench apartheid” by limiting freedom of movement and creating systemic digital repression.
These same AI capabilities, refined through military deployment, are now being marketed aggressively to governments in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and increasingly, the Caribbean.
3. India’s Expanding Surveillance State and Its Export Economy
India is simultaneously constructing one of the largest domestic surveillance architectures on earth. The government’s Aadhaar biometric system already contains personal data for over 1.3 billion individuals, making it the most extensive biometric database globally. India’s forthcoming Automated Facial Recognition System (AFRS) aims to integrate:
- Nationwide CCTV networks
- Border control systems
- Immigration registries
- Law enforcement and police databases
The AFRS is expected to handle more than 2.8 billion images, including mugshots, CCTV captures, and passport data.
India’s Global Export of Surveillance Tools
Indian companies with ties to national intelligence agencies, including BEL, Tech Mahindra, and private AI startups, are exporting scalable surveillance systems to developing regions. Their competitive advantage is cost, making their systems attractive to cash-strapped Caribbean governments. India’s expansion in the Caribbean mirrors its broader geopolitical strategy in Africa and Latin America, where technology sales are often packaged with diplomatic outreach and training agreements.
4. Israel–India Cooperation: A Growing Intelligence and Technology Axis
In recent years, Israeli and Indian companies have deepened security-technology partnerships. These collaborations include:
- Joint development of facial recognition algorithms
- Predictive policing systems
- Real-time crowd-tracking tools
- AI-based threat detection
- Shared security research for “smart policing”
Companies such as Corsight AI have partnered with Indian state-linked agencies to integrate Israeli biometric engines into India’s domestic platforms. This convergence heightens concerns regarding cross-border data flows and raises questions about whether biometric information captured in one region could become accessible to intelligence entities in the other.
For the Caribbean, without the ability to independently audit AI systems this presents significant risk.
5. Why the Caribbean Is Highly Vulnerable
The rapid penetration of Israeli and Indian surveillance tools into the Caribbean is driven by long-standing structural weaknesses that leave the region highly exposed. Data protection remains fragile: although 10 of 15 CARICOM countries have enacted data-protection laws, fewer than 5 enforce them effectively, with some offices staffed by only 1–3 officers for an entire nation. Forensic and technical capacity is similarly limited. Jamaica, with 2.82 million people, has only two forensic pathologists, while Trinidad & Tobago which records 39.4 homicides per 100,000, one of the highest rates in the hemisphere, has just 5–7 digital forensic specialists. Many OECS states lack any domestic capability to analyze AI-driven surveillance systems or detect hidden data-exfiltration features.
Chronic underinvestment in cybersecurity compounds the problem. The Caribbean loses an estimated US$500 million annually to cybercrime, with Jamaica reporting 3,000+ cyber incidents in 2023 and Trinidad & Tobago experiencing a 167% increase in attacks between 2021 and 2024. Yet most national cyber budgets remain below 0.05% of government expenditure far below international norms of 1–3%.
Weak governance further increases vulnerability. Fewer than one-third of CARICOM states require parliamentary approval for foreign surveillance contracts, allowing major national-security systems to be procured by individual ministries without public scrutiny. Several countries lack central authorities to regulate cross-border data flows or national biometric databases, creating regulatory loopholes that foreign vendors can exploit.
As a result, Israeli and Indian technologies often enter the region through donor-funded modernization projects, airport and immigration upgrades, smart-city pilots, and private contracts with banks and telecoms frequently without independent audits or transparency. In many cases, governments may not fully understand the remote-access capabilities or data-sharing mechanisms embedded in these imported systems.
These structural weaknesses leave the Caribbean vulnerable to external influence over its digital infrastructure. Without stronger data protections, independent oversight bodies, and coordinated regional governance, the region risks adopting surveillance architectures that could become impossible to regulate, or dismantle, once fully embedded.
6. Where Surveillance Technologies Are Already Appearing
Evidence from regional security reports, civil society investigations, and procurement records (where available) demonstrate increasing use of foreign surveillance technologies in:
- Border security and immigration screening
- Airport facial recognition systems
- Police and intelligence services for gang tracking
- Public CCTV and “smart city” projects
- Telecom and financial institutions for fraud detection
- Digital ID systems being piloted or proposed
- Elections crowd measuring
- Face Recanalization of political members
- Cell phone data surveillance
- Traffic and transportation monitoring systems
Some islands have implemented surveillance systems through no-bid contracts, donor-funded agreements, or private-sector partnerships that bypass parliamentary scrutiny.
7. Human Rights and Governance Risks
The expansion of foreign surveillance technology in the Caribbean raises serious human rights and governance concerns. Unlike Europe or Canada, most Caribbean countries lack independent oversight bodies to regulate biometric surveillance, allowing mass-surveillance systems to be deployed without adequate safeguards or public consent. Data privacy weaknesses heighten the risk, as several Israeli and Indian platforms route biometric information to remote servers outside the region potentially placing Caribbean citizens’ identities in jurisdictions with weak or unclear privacy protections.
There is also a credible risk of political misuse. Around the world, facial recognition tools have been deployed to target opposition politicians, activists, trade unionists, journalists, and protest movements. Given the heightened political polarization in several Caribbean states, the possibility of similar misuse is both realistic and concerning. Compounding the challenge is the role of foreign intelligence services. Both Israeli and Indian agencies are known to work through private technology companies, blurring the line between commercial products and intelligence-gathering operations. Caribbean governments, lacking independent AI auditors and advanced cyber-forensic capabilities, are often unable to determine what data is being collected, where it is stored, how it is used, or whether remote-access backdoors exist. This creates a vacuum of accountability that exposes the region to significant governance and human rights risks.
8. The Rumored Role of Caribbean and Canadian Subcontractors
Reports suggest that several Jamaican, Trinidadian, and Canadian research and technology firms may be quietly acting as intermediaries for Israeli and Indian surveillance companies in the Caribbean. Operating under academic, research, or consulting banners, these firms are believed to assist with regional data integration, facial recognition deployment, procurement negotiations, and system maintenance, activities that go far beyond traditional consultancy. Some are even rumoured to support election-prediction modelling, raising concerns about whether political or demographic data is being shared with foreign technology vendors.
Although unverified, these allegations highlight serious risks. Subcontractors may create conflicts of interest, especially when academic institutions or research firms maintain undisclosed ties to foreign intelligence-linked companies. Their involvement also raises fears of academic–intelligence blending, unregulated data transfers, and opaque procurement arrangements, particularly because many Caribbean states do not require public disclosure of national-security contracts. The dual-use nature of AI surveillance technologies capable of serving both civilian and intelligence purposes adds to the complexity.
In small island states with limited oversight capacity, these subcontracting arrangements can operate with minimal scrutiny, allowing foreign surveillance systems to be integrated indirectly and quietly. Without regional regulations, independent audits, and transparent procurement processes, the influence of foreign intelligence-linked technology may continue to expand unchecked, posing long-term risks to sovereignty, privacy, and democratic governance in the Caribbean.
9. What the Caribbean Must Do Now: Fifteen Strategic Recommendations
To avoid becoming an unregulated testing ground for foreign intelligence-linked surveillance systems, the Caribbean must adopt a comprehensive, multi-layered governance approach. The following 15 recommendations outline the minimum safeguards required to protect digital sovereignty, human rights, and national security across the region:
- Establish a CARICOM-Wide AI and Surveillance Governance Framework
Create uniform rules for the procurement, deployment, and evaluation of surveillance technologies across all Caribbean states. - Require Mandatory Parliamentary Approval for Foreign Surveillance Contracts
No surveillance technology, facial recognition, biometric ID, or predictive policing, should be purchased or deployed without legislative scrutiny. - Enact and Enforce Robust Data-Protection and Data-Retention Laws
All CARICOM states must create enforceable legal regimes regulating biometric capture, data storage, cross-border transfers, and deletion schedules. - Create an Independent Regional AI Ethics and Digital Rights Commission
A centralized oversight body is needed to audit AI systems, investigate complaints, and provide public reports on surveillance deployments. - Mandate Transparency for Public–Private Technology Partnerships
All contracts involving biometric systems, national databases, or AI-driven surveillance must be publicly disclosed, except in narrowly defined national-security situations. - Introduce Civil Society and Judicial Oversight Mechanisms
Human rights organizations, legal associations, and the judiciary must have formal roles in monitoring surveillance programs. - Provide Specialized Training for Judges, Police, Prosecutors, and Attorneys
Training should cover AI-enabled evidence, digital forensics, algorithmic bias, and the legal admissibility of machine-generated intelligence. - Implement Mandatory AI System Audits and Impact Assessments
Before deployment, all AI systems must undergo independent algorithmic audits, privacy impact assessments, and human rights evaluations. - Create a Regional Biometric Data Storage Standard
Biometric data captured in CARICOM states should be stored locally or within CARICOM jurisdictions—not on foreign servers accessible to external intelligence entities. - Ban or Strictly Regulate Real-Time Facial Recognition in Public Spaces
Real-time surveillance poses the highest risk for abuse and should only be used under strict judicial authority with tight guardrails. - Develop a CARICOM Digital Sovereignty Strategy
This should include cybersecurity investment benchmarks, regional cloud infrastructure, and coordinated cyber-defense resources. - Introduce Procurement Blacklists for High-Risk Foreign Vendors
Vendors linked to human rights abuses, spyware scandals, or unregulated intelligence activity should be excluded from national-security tenders. - Strengthen Whistleblower Protections in Technology and Security Sectors
Protecting insiders who reveal unlawful surveillance practices is crucial for accountability. - Require Public Disclosure of Cross-Border Data Flows
Citizens must be informed when their biometric or personal data is being stored or processed outside the country. - Create a CARICOM Digital Rights Ombudsman Office
A dedicated office should investigate citizen complaints related to AI misuse, unlawful surveillance, and digital discrimination.
10. Conclusion: The Technology Is Not the Threat: The Governance Vacuum
The central challenge facing the Caribbean is not the rapid spread of surveillance technologies themselves, but the profound governance vacuum surrounding their procurement, deployment, and oversight. Tools such as facial recognition, biometric scanners, predictive analytics, and AI-assisted policing can serve legitimate national security and public safety purposes. However, when these technologies are built and supplied by intelligence-linked foreign companies particularly those from Israel and India, the risks extend far beyond technical malfunction. What is being exported is not merely software, but an entire ecosystem of security doctrine, data culture, and surveillance logic that may be incompatible with the Caribbean’s legal traditions, privacy standards, and democratic norms.
In small developing states where institutional oversight is limited, the consequences can be deep, long-lasting, and exceedingly difficult to reverse. Once foreign surveillance architecture becomes embedded in national databases, immigration systems, policing platforms, or electoral-management systems, governments may find themselves dependent on external vendors with limited ability to regulate data flows, inspect algorithms, or safeguard citizens’ biometric identities. Without strong governance, the region risks unwittingly surrendering aspects of its digital sovereignty.
The Caribbean must therefore embrace technological innovation with equal, if not greater, commitment to legal safeguards, civil rights, transparency, and public accountability. The urgency cannot be overstated: these systems are already spreading across airports, police forces, financial institutions, and immigration departments. The time for regional standards, harmonized legislation, and independent oversight is now, before surveillance systems become normalized, unregulated, and irreversible.
How Collaboration Can Support Caribbean Governments
As the Caribbean enters this new era of digital security and AI-driven governance, there is a critical role for trusted regional institutions and Caribbean-led consulting firms. Dunn Pierre Barnett & Company Canada Ltd. (DPBA), with its deep expertise in data collection, governance, labour market intelligence, national policy development, and digital systems integration, stands uniquely positioned to assist governments in navigating these complex challenges.
DPBA can support national and regional authorities in several key areas:
1. Developing National AI, Privacy, and Surveillance Governance Frameworks
DPBA has experience building regulatory frameworks aligned with global standards. The firm can design national legislation, procurement protocols, and oversight mechanisms tailored to Caribbean contexts.
2. Conducting National Security Technology Risk Assessments
DPBA is equipped to evaluate foreign surveillance tools, identify data-exfiltration risks, and assess compliance with local and regional laws. This includes technical audits, vendor due diligence, and policy risk mapping.
3. Designing Regional Digital Sovereignty Strategies
With the growing need for regional cooperation, DPBA can help CARICOM states develop shared strategies on cloud infrastructure, data residency, AI ethics, cybersecurity, and cross-border data management.
4. Providing Independent Oversight and Monitoring
DPBA can serve as an independent monitoring partner reviewing contracts, auditing surveillance deployments, and ensuring that foreign vendors meet legal and ethical obligations.
5. Training Judges, Attorneys, Law Enforcement, and Public Officials
DPBA’s established background in workforce development and professional training allows it to build capacity in:
- AI-enabled evidence assessment
- Digital rights
- Cyber-forensics
- Procurement integrity
- Election technology oversight
6. Building Indigenous Caribbean Data Capacity
DPBA’s proprietary Black Data & Information Portal, and its extensive datasets across 75+ countries, demonstrate the firm’s commitment to building local analytical capacity, reducing the region’s dependency on foreign intelligence-linked systems.
Final Word
The Caribbean stands at a pivotal moment. Decisions made today about surveillance, data governance, and AI infrastructure will shape the region’s democratic integrity, human rights landscape, and digital sovereignty for decades to come. The priority now must be establishing strong governance frameworks, not reacting after foreign systems are already embedded.
By partnering with Caribbean-led, ethics-driven organizations like Dunn Pierre Barnett & Company Canada Ltd., regional governments can ensure that innovation serves the public good, that technology strengthens rather than weakens democratic institutions, and that the future of digital governance in the Caribbean is shaped by Caribbean voices, not foreign intelligence agendas.
