Gov’t to Continue Consultations on NIDS

Parliamentary Secretary, Senator Robert Morgan, says the Government will continue consultations and education about the benefits of the National Identification System (NIDS).

“There’s no law for NIDS now, but there’s still a policy and the obligation of the Government is to continue to advise people about its intention and what its plans are,” he said.

Mr. Morgan was addressing a National Cyber Security Conference at The University of the West Indies (UWI) Regional Headquarters recently.

The session, hosted by the Mona ICT Policy Centre and the Caribbean School of Media and Communication (CARIMAC), was held under the theme: ‘Data Protection – What Next for NIDS?’

Discussions focused on the future of NIDS in light of the Supreme Court ruling earlier this year that rendered the enabling legislation, which was passed in Parliament in 2017, null and void. Other areas addressed were data protection and personal privacy.

Mr. Morgan said that NIDS is designed to provide Jamaica with a secure, reliable and accountable identification solution.

“We have a myriad of what you’d cal=l identification documents (passport, driver’s licence and a voter’s ID) but we do not have a national identification,” he noted.

He said that NIDS will also identify people in the society with particular needs, prevent identity theft, provide authentic identity, ensure a unified system across Government and improve ease of doing business.

Mr. Morgan said that NIDS had its genesis in 1982, where a committee was set up under the leadership of JAG Smith to look into the establishment of a national system of identification. He said that a lot of the recommendations from that committee were reflected in the 2017 Bill.