KINGSTON, Jamaica – Prime Minister Andrew Holness said his administration is close to implementing the islandwide rollout of the National Identification System (NIDS).
Prime Minister Andrew Holness views the design of the National Identification card which is to be produced under the National Identification System (NIDS). (JIS Photo)As he officially launched the NIDS Technical Pilot at Jamaica Post Central Sorting Office in Kingston on Tuesday – the same day a Card Personalization Centre at that location was also opened – Holness said the NIDS will be rolled out in various phases.
After the technical pilot implementation, he said, “we will commence a national rollout all across Jamaica”.
“In parallel, work is proceeding to establish the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA), which will manage the NIDS. The technical pilot is a very important phase and, today, we launch a process to test drive all the processes and sub-systems that we have been developing in the last three years,” the Prime Minister said.
NIDS, an electronic form of identification, will provide a comprehensive and secure database for capturing and storing the personal information of citizens and non-nationals ordinarily residing in Jamaica.
Holness advised that a framework has been put in place to protect data collected under the NIDS.
“We have embedded into law, serious consequences for data breaches, [and] most importantly, the NIDS is subject to the Data Protection Act. I must also stress the importance of consent, where the individual must give permission for their identity to be verified,” he said.
Additionally, the system has built-in mechanisms to ensure that identity verification is detected and shared with the data owner, for transparency.
“No system in the world is 100 per cent fool proof, but that is not an excuse to avoid implementing a system that will improve our day-to-day lives by simplifying time-consuming complex processes,” the Prime Minister said.
He added that during the pilot, the NIDS project will move to obtain International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) certification.
As such, Holness further informed, the Jamaica national identification card will be consistent with international standards for digital identity, enacted by the ICAO.
“This is the same standard used in all the programs in Europe, the Americas and Asia/Pacific Region. This is also the same standard adopted for electronic passports. So, our card will be on the cutting edge, meeting the most popular and most widely used international standards,” he explained.
The Prime Minister said that by adopting this standard, NIDS is producing a card that can be used for multiple applications, utilizing solutions from a number of vendors, and delivering the highest level of security and data protection.
