Having a NIDS ID is a big deal – Holness
Published:Thursday | December 15, 2022 | 12:54 AMAinsworth Morris/Staff Reporter
Prime Minister Andrew Holness says youth below the age of 18 years of age, who are oftentimes prevented from making certain strides in society because they do not have proper identification, will benefit greatly under the National Identification System (NIDS) Technical Pilot programme launched on Tuesday.
The NIDS Technical Pilot programme was launched by Holness at the Jamaica Post Central Sorting Office near downtown Kingston, where the first NIDS location has now been established for identification cards to be issued.
Youth below the age of 18 years oftentimes have no other form of identification apart from a Jamaican passport. However, some fail to get access to a passport because they were not registered at birth, or they have no copies of a birth certificate. When they become adults at 18 years old, they sometimes can only access a voter’s identification card to have proper identification.
“I know that there is great anticipation [for the identification cards]. Indeed, I may say ‘excitement’ among Jamaicans who are hoping to benefit from having a national ID. The benefits of a national ID is a big thing. It’s a big thing for our young people who are below 18 [years]. In other words, presently, there is no national identification for people below the voting age. Now, we will have this. That’s a big thing,” Holness said.
“It’s a big thing when we eliminate the requirement for multiple forms of identification, so now you don’t have to carry two IDs or a reference to say who you are. It’s a big thing when you don’t have to go to your doctor, lawyer or policeman or a justice of the peace to verify who you are. That’s a big thing,” he said.
Holness said the Government is now very close to rolling out the NIDS programme for the issuing of identification cards across Jamaica, where youth under the age of 18 years can visit to have their NIDS identification cards printed.
He led by example in having his own physical NIDS identification card printed at the Jamaica Post Central Sorting Office, it being the first for the nation, on Tuesday afternoon following the launch.
INFO WILL BE SAFEGUARDED
Holness chose to have the first NIDS identification card printed for him in an effort to demonstrate to all Jamaicans that registering for NIDS is safe, given that some Jamaicans still remain sceptical as to whether or not their personal information will be safeguarded under the NIDS initiative.
Months after the NIDS Bill was passed in the Senate, the Government received backlash from numerous Jamaicans, including the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP), who showed up certain aspects of the legislation that breached the rights of Jamaicans to privacy to the Constitutional Court in 2019 and won.
It then took two and a half years after the NIDS Bill was struck down for it to be passed in the House.
“Over the past years, we have taken the time to craft a new policy and law that is in keeping with the Supreme Court’s ruling, and I believe that we have done so very well,” Holness said.
“Today we launch the technical pilot for the programme, and our citizens need to fully understand the process involved in rolling out a system of this manner. We have put in place a framework to protect the data collected under NIDS. We have embedded into law serious consequences for data breaches. Most importantly, however, NIDS is subject to the Data Protection Act,” he said.
Holness emphasised how safe it was for persons who choose to be a part of NIDS, as they have to give permission for their identity to be used, and they will also be alerted in advance. Also, he noted that NIDS was safer for information sharing over smartphones.
He said the Government understands, in this day and age, how very important it is to protect the data of Jamaican residents.
“I’ve always said, on your iPhones and your Androids, you have far more sensitive and personal information that you wouldn’t be giving to NIDS, and you give it every day without question; without second thought; without worry. But we understand that we are being judged at the highest standard, where we judge against our history, and we are being judged against our own culture of mistrust and suspicion, and therefore, we have to take measures. We have to put in place systems, and we literally have to operate on a zero-fail mission,” he said.