NIDS rollout set for Q1 2024
Published:Sunday | February 25, 2024 | 12:05 AMAvia Collinder - Financial Business Writer
SENATOR DANA Morris Dixon, minister without portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister, indicates that the National Identification System (NIDS) is expected to be deployed in the first quarter of 2024 as long as the relevant regulations are ready.
At present, Jamaica does not have a central national database with systems to support identity verification and authentication.
The Government notes that currently, the various systems issue different numbers based on the diverse standards and are not necessarily able to connect and share information with each other due to logistical or legal barriers. Therefore, individuals can assume multiple identities.
It is expected that the new system will improve management and delivery of government services to the public to include programme benefits such as the National Insurance Scheme, the National Health Fund, welfare, and E-government - with the use of the national identification number (NIN) - creating the linkages between entities for new produce and service development.
Morris Dixon says implementation will be aided by the new Data Protection Act (DPA), which came into effect on December 1, 2023.
Government officials say the development was critical to the rollout of NIDS, which is expected to enable the storage of personal-identity information for persons resident in Jamaica and is slated to become the primary source for identity verification.
The data-protection framework, Morris Dixon outlined, ensures that people are notified of requests to access their NIDS information. The DPA grants the right to provide or withhold access to their information in many cases.
She indicated: “We are finalising the regulations, and we expect them to be tabled before the end of this quarter. The DPA, along with security protection and leading technologies, are foundational elements of the National Identification System.”
The NIDS project was funded by a technical cooperation grant from the Inter-American Development Bank, through the Korean Poverty Reduction Fund, in the amount of US$670,000, with GOJ counterpart funding of US$120,000.
Under the companion DPA project, public authorities, financial and educational institutions, and health and security-services providers are affected as they are processors of sensitive personal data.
Entities defined as data controllers are required to be registered with the Office of the Information Commissioner, effective December 1, and pay an annual fee.
They are also obligated to appoint a responsible individual, such as a data-protection officer, to oversee the controller’s compliance with the act.
Morris Dixon told the Financial Gleaner that “we are awaiting the revised NIDS regulations. Once they are completed, these regulations will be brought to the Parliament for its consideration.
“In addition to the regulations, the board of the National Identification Registration Authority will be named. The regulations and responsible body will pave the way for the rollout of Jamaica’s digital ID. With that said, we are working hard to begin rollout,” she said.
Asked about the timeframe for individual enrolment, Morris Dixon stated: “Please be reminded that enrolment in NIDS is on a voluntary, consent-based basis. While we encourage all Jamaicans to take advantage of the new digital ID, enrolment is on a voluntary basis.”
NIDS is being sold as “a unique, reliable, and secure way of verifying an individual’s identity that will establish a reliable database of all Jamaican citizens and will involve the issuance of a unique, lifelong national identification number to every person.
“The NIN may be used alongside a multipurpose card or be uploaded on to smartphones. The use of biometric (fingerprint or retina) scans is also being explored,” it was outlined on the OPM website.
Project highlights include development of a legal framework, design of IT and communication architecture, the development of a behaviour-change strategy, cost benefit analyses, and audits.
Facilitating government entities are Fiscal Services Limited; the Registrar General’s Department; the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency; the Electoral Office of Jamaica; and the National Insurance Scheme.
The OPM says NIDS is also expected to impact the Government’s ability to secure compliance with tax collection, among other things, and the strengthening of immigration, border -control management, public safety, and national security.
The GOJ is currently advertising for administrative, deployment, vetting, and other staff, all with information technology backgrounds.
Last year, it also advertised for manager of card-production services, project director, a manager of public key infrastructure, a public key infrastructure administrator, a security officer, and a master user and enrolment coordinator.