Will the NIDS discriminate against vulnerable groups or violate privacy?

NIDS To Assist Vulnerable Groups And Safeguard Privacy

The National Identification System (NIDS) is a voluntary biometric digital identification system, designed to authenticate the identity of a person. The government has said it will be a useful tool to fight crime and assist in the delivery of government services to citizens. 

NIDS will aim to reduce crime through the creation of a central national database system which enquiring entities can use to verify critical information to detect false claims and uncover multiple identities.  Another benefit of NIDS will be to assist the management of government welfare systems, including the Programme of Advancement through Health and Education (PATH), by providing a way to authenticate the identity of persons who do not possess any other means such as national ID, passport or driver’s licence.  

The National Identification Act was passed in 2020, after the first bill was struck down as unconstitutional in 2019 by the Supreme Court, which determined that it violated citizens’ right to privacy. The Government has said that it will put in place safeguards to protect the privacy of Jamaicans' personal information, against the background of concerns including a view that information gathered will be used to monitor their activities.  

The National Identification and Registration Inspectorate (NIRI), an independent body, has been implemented to ensure the NIDS Programme protects citizen`s legal rights in response to these concerns.  

Prime Minister Andrew Holness  has said that the Government had difficulty providing benefits to needy Jamaicans during the Covid-19 pandemic because they did not have proper identification. 

The Prime Minister said over three hundred million dollars was uncollected because people were not able to verify their identification. He said persons presented incorrect information such as TRN number and bank account numbers. 

NIDS will also target people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.  Executive Director of the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities (JCPD), Dr. Christine Hendricks has said this card will also make it easier for people with disabilities to access resources outside of JCPD.  

“Once you have the NIDS card, which will be your national identification card, with that access symbol on it, it will facilitate easy access to benefits outside of the JCPD; because when persons apply for a National Housing Trust (NHT) benefit or any other benefit, they have to get a letter of verification from the JCPD to verify that they are a person with a disability,” Dr. Christine Hendricks told JIS in a Think Tank.  

Efforts have also been made by the Government to assist persons to acquire personal documentation. For example, Operation Birthright is a programme that helps persons who earn below $35,000 monthly to apply for their birth certificates at no cost.  

NIDS is expected to be rolled out across the country during 2023 and the government will invest in more post offices to facilitate enrollment. The Government will go to tender, to select contractors to commence some modifications of an additional nineteen post offices to expand access to the National Identification Card.