–          data protection act to also be brought into force soon

ATTORNEY GENERAL (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, has noted that Guyana’s digital identity card will initially rely on data already held by state agencies as the initiative gets underway following the operationalisation of the 2023 act.

The minister made these remarks during this week’s airing of his weekly show, “issues in the news” during which he affirmed that the information to be collected at this stage is not new, but mirrors what is already accessible within the public domain through agencies such as the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the National Insurance Scheme (NIS).

He made the information known following the issuance of a commencement order by Prime Minister Mark Phillips, bringing the Digital Identity Card Act of 2023 into full operation as of March 31.

“With the Act now fully operational, persons can begin applying for and receiving their digital identity cards,” Nandlall said.

He noted that, at present, the data being requested is consistent with what these agencies already collect. “The data that would be taken at this point in time remains the data that is accessible in the public domain… the same type of data that GECOM has, the Guyana Revenue Authority has, and that NIS has,” he said.

However, he went on to add that with the digital identity card act being brought into force, whereas, before it was voluntary, now persons will have to apply to obtain their cards.

Nandlall emphasised that more sensitive personal information will only be collected once the country’s data protection framework is fully in place.

He disclosed that the government is actively working to operationalise the Data Protection Act, including the establishment of a Data Protection Agency.

“The government accords your private data and information the highest priority and wants to protect the integrity and confidentiality of that data,” he said while adding that private and confidential data will not be requested until the necessary safeguards are implemented.

Against this backdrop, Nandlall stated that a Data Commissioner has already been appointed and is in the process of setting up the administrative structures required for the Act to take effect very shortly.

Meanwhile, the groundwork for distribution has already been laid with offices established across the country to facilitate applications for the new digital identity cards.