Digital Identity Card Bill passed

Aug 11, 2023 News

Kaieteur News – The National Assembly on Thursday morning passed the Digital Identity Card Bill, to combine biometric data of citizens into one card.

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, S.C (KN file photo)

The Bill, intituled an Act to provide for the establishment of a Registry for the collection of identity data of citizens 14-years and over and non-citizens, including, skilled nationals of a Caribbean Community State and for the issuance of Digital Identity Cards containing digital identity data that were collected to facilitate electronic governance and to enhance government and other services and for related matters.

It paves the way for the implementation of cards that will cost US$35 million. The digital card is an official document, sufficient and necessary to lawfully identify the person in doing business with a public body or private entity, whether in person or online.

In order to fully implement the digital cards, the government drafted the Digital Identity Card Bill, which was tabled in the House by the Prime Minister Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips.

While the Prime Minister was not present, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, S.C presenting on the Bill in the Assembly on Thursday morning outlined, “The Bill that is before us is to create the legal framework, the legal infrastructure that will govern the issuance, the operationalization, the efficacy and the use of the card.”

He also stated that the Digital Identity Bill will go hand-in-hand with the recently passed Data Protection Bill.

The minister said, “So you will have in due time a digital reservoir of person information from which we can draw as a country to satisfy any data requirements. The card will draw from that pool.”

Moreover, Opposition Member of Parliament, David Patterson, told the Assembly that the Opposition is in support of the implementation of the Bill which will create the framework for the implementation of a digitalized system.

However, he noted that he hopes there are security measures to protect citizens’ data in the event the card is lost or stolen.

Earlier this year, the Government of Guyana signed a US$35 Million contract with a German company, Veridos Identity Solutions for a Single Electronic Identification System and cards that will be issued to Guyanese. The awarding of the contract was facilitated by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum.

It is expected that the digital cards are made with high security materials and elements that offer durability, reliability, and exclude any possible alteration, so that they cannot be the object of any fraud and consequently guarantee the identity of the holders of the cards. The cards should meet the relevant international standards, including those of the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

The Bill outlines offences persons can face if they knowingly apply for more than one card or uses falsified or altered card. One such penalty is a fine of $5M may be liable to a person found guilty of fraudulently obtaining or using a digital identity card.

President Irfaan Ali had said that the card’s capabilities are also in keeping with his Government’s commitment to promote e-Governance to improve the productivity of businesses and the delivery of Government services through the introduction of eHealth, e-Education, e-Security, e-Agriculture, electronic permit, and licence processing among other areas.

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Anil Nandlall, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, biometric, Digital Identity Card Bill, S.C.

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