Settling into her new role as Minister of Industry, Innovation, Science and Technology, Marsha Caddle has urged Barbadians to put aside cynicism and be more confident in technological advances to benefit the nation in 2024 – including digitised identification.
But Caddle acknowledged the task of winning public support for the high-tech solutions may be an uphill battle.
“I realise that it will not be a simple question of just bringing effect to the technology. It has to be a conversation, not a fight nor a quarrel,” she said.
A decades-old laminated identification card system is now in its last week of validity, to be replaced by a new digital identification card which contains the bearer’s personal information. The move has generated debate on privacy and security of government-held information.
The Democratic Labour Party has urged citizens not to adopt the new digital cards, even as the Mia Mottley administration has indicated the old ID cards will no longer be valid after next Wednesday, January 31.
Caddle told the House of Assembly on Tuesday that a “unique identifier” is one of the most important opportunities that her ministry needs to deliver for the people of Barbados.
Speaking about the interaction of the public with the government, Caddle said that the objective is to use the technology through the unique identifier to facilitate business between the parties.
“The idea is that once you present yourself to the government as a client one time, that is the only time that you would have to make that presentation to the state,” she said in her first speech to the House of Assembly as Minister of Industry, Innovation, Science and Technology.
“Through a simple, unique identifier that may be your ID number – should be a digital ID – you are then able to carry that identity across all the Government services that you need to access.”
The minister, who took up her new portfolio less than two weeks ago, suggested that in order to fulfil the ministry’s mandate, the office of the Data Commissioner needs to be properly resourced and empowered to cater to the needs of the country with regard to data protection. Part of the commissioner’s responsibility will be to make Barbadians confident that the data to which the State has access will be protected, she declared.
“That is a key part of what the Ministry of Industry, Science and Technology will have to continue to do going forward,” she said.
Caddle, a former finance minister responsible for investment, said all Barbadians must see the benefit of joining the rest of the world in the 21st century. She told Parliament that while people are exposing information about themselves on social media platforms “availing the public of our entire selves”, they are concerned when government departments share a piece of information with each other.
“I believe very much in the importance of data privacy,” she stressed. “The legislation that we recently brought puts huge emphasis on the importance of data privacy, but it is possible to share data but retain its integrity and privacy.”
Speaking during the pre-lunch session in the House of Assembly, Caddle said a priority of the State is to protect the information of its citizens. But this, she said, would require a belief in the strength of the legislation to protect citizens and a suspension of “cynicism”.
Noting her ministry’s responsibility for achieving efficiency and for using technology to make people’s lives easier, Caddle said the legislation guides the creation of the environment for which her ministry has responsibility, adding that private sector input would be critical to its success.
(SP)
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