The Jamaica Information Service (JIS) posted an article on March 1, 2021, about townhall meeting that was held where it was expressed that NIDS will be secure. Below are some key highlights:
- Programme Director for the National Identification System (NIDS), Warren Vernon, addresses a virtual town hall meeting on the National Identification and Registration Act, 2020, which makes provisions for a voluntary and secure National Identification System (NIDS).
- Providing details on the system during recent virtual townhall sessions, Programme Director for the National Identification System (NIDS), Warren Vernon, said Jamaica is moving in the right direction to ensure the implementation of a secure national identification programme that is in line with what is happening in some of the most innovative countries in the world.
- Mr Vernon pointed out that the system will be designed to address challenges associated with identity theft and other incidents of fraud, those reported by several ministries, departments and agencies within recent years.
- He noted, are the Ministry of National Security, which reported more than 400 cases of identity theft; the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA), which reported 2,000 related cases of fraud; and the Registrar General’s Department (RGD), which reported more than 1,000 cases involving forged birth certificates.
- The layered rollout and management of the NIDS will be handled by a new agency, the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA), which will replace the Registrar General’s Department (RGD) and provide enhanced services.
- Townhall meetings on the National Identification & Registration Act, 2020, form part of a series of government-led consultations to inform the public about NIDS while affording opportunities for their questions and concerns to be addressed.
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