(CNS): Legislation for the mandatory national identification register and the supporting but voluntary ID card system is set to be debated in parliament next month. The proposed legislation was gazetted Friday, opening a public consultation period of three weeks. Once passed, the law paves the way for government officials to begin compiling the register of legal residents based in the first instance on the information held by WORC.
The system will provide a secure means of verified identification for everyone who lives here for everything, from doing business with the government to meeting the Know Your Customer requirements at the bank.
Officials explained that WORC contains basic information on all current or former work permit holders, permanent residents, people with Caymanian status and the details of locals who have ever travelled using a passport. After that, children and Caymanians who have never travelled and other missing individuals will be added using the general registry.
While the register will be compiled with basic information from existing data held by the government, members of the public will need to apply for a card but will be able to choose how much information beyond the basic facts can be linked to the card and accessed. The basic information will be the cardholder’s name, date of birth, nationality, sex, immigration status and their unique ID code.
It will take about six months for the register to be created, so government officials expect that people will be able to begin applying for a card in the summer of 2023.
Speaking to the media last week about the new project and the goals, Ian Tibbetts, the director of eGovernment in the Ministry of Innovation, which is responsible for the digital identity initiative and implementing the underlying technology, said it would be a catalyst for creating a truly connected, modern and dynamic Cayman Islands.
Tibbetts explained that it would fill the identity gap, as some people have no ID at all while others have ID that doesn’t expire, such as a voter card, or doesn’t prove their status. He also said it would ensure that people with the same name are not mixed up.
As well as cutting red tape and bureaucracy, it is expected to simplify interactions with government and private sector entities as it removes the need for constantly giving the same information to different entities. Experts in the ministry believe it will save people days over their lifetime of filling out forms.
Charles Brown, the acting deputy chief officer in the ministry, explained that the system would be secure, as consent would be needed from a cardholder to share their information, which would then only be shared on a limited and need-to-know basis in order to satisfy the service in question.
“It will give people back control of their identity,” he said, noting that the cards would offer a secure signature that can be downloaded and used by the cardholder for any online secure transaction.
Acting Chief Officer Tamara Ebanks said this digital identity would provide the framework for future innovation growth in government, private sector employment and entrepreneurship. “It provides an individual with a means to prove their identity through a verifiable and secure electronic process,” she said in a press release.
Innovation Minister André Ebanks said the national digital ID and its underlying suite of systems and technologies would firmly launch the Cayman Islands into the 21st Century. “It is an enabling innovation that will truly modernise governance and transform how Cayman Islands residents transact with government and businesses,” he said.
For details and an explanation of the legislation relating to both the registration system and the card see the below document. See the bills on the ministry website where you can also submit comment during the 21 day consultation period here.
See the bills and the ministry’s briefing about the bills in the CNS Library.
You can also see the bills and submit comments to the ministry during the 21-day consultation period here.
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https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aadhaar
India’s 12 number unique identifier digital ID and how it works for anyone interested in reading.
Biometrics, fingerprints, personal data, immigration status,…voluntary vs mandatory.
I remember when the Covid19 shots were ‘voluntary’ and then….
Yep, it will be voluntary, but forced upon us by denial of service if you don’t have one. This is how modern day dictatorships work.
Major human rights infringements entangled in this.
This will be an Identity theft hacker’s dream, every CIG terminal will be an access point to a valuable database for resale. Government workers will finally be able to market comprehensive resident lists to anyone around the world, just like the telecom employees routinely selling our cell phone numbers. Good luck to the Ombudsman.
The number of the card to identify you will become your Tax ID number. This is but a step toward that.
Oh Christ would you all stop with the conspiracy theories it’s modern technology there is no demon hidden in the damn card. Come out of the Middle Ages please
Middle ages??? theyre way ahead of you. You wont know what youve all signed up for until you have a glitch in your ID thats holding up every facet of your life and jumping through hoops trying to find out how to fix it. What a convenience!!
Sorry, we can’t all dumb ourselves down to your level. Ignorance is bliss but not knowing about something isnt going to stop it from happening. Read a little!
and with CBDC coming into play of a future cashless society, it will just be deducted automatically, no chance to even question or review it.
This is one of the greatest initiatives from the CI Government and should really be embraced by all.
When I lived in Singapore, everything was tied to the unique code that would be issued to you by the Singapore Government from opening up bank accounts, paying taxes, healthcare, automated kiosks at the airport (no human interaction) and even setting up your account with the local equivalent of Best Buy. It was seamless and truly created a connected society.
Bureaucracy and red tape (a Cayman special) didn’t exist in Singapore and this ID card is one of the reasons. Again, I can’t stress enough the importance of this ID card and the unique code that would be issued to each Cayman resident.
– Caymanian
Cayman government and Singapore government… HUGE DIFFERENCE
BS. Privacy invasion is what it is. new world order / great reset crap.
oh, here come the conspiracy theory comments from all the clueless who still think the WEF and Great Reset are a myth. What a rude awakening many have coming.
Ever consider going back to Singapore? Sounds like such a wonderful police state. Tracking your every move.
So just so I get this straight, our high cost of living is the direct result of an ever-increasing need for revenue to finance the civil ‘service’ which in the 2022 still cannot find a way to network or sync the information from various departments that CAUSE the red tape we all suffer on a daily basis. And in order to fix the red tape, we must now spend god knows how much out of the public purse to introduce a digital national ID system which upon the reading the Bills briefly only contains NAME, DOB and Nationality (things currently and clearly available on many other forms of ID) How will this magically network all the information between government departments which is currently not able to be done without this magical digital CARD?
We need to know what other information will be stored or accessed on these ‘digital’ wonders and who will be using that information. Any answer that starts with, “at this time” is not to be trusted. There is no way the cost of this can be justified simply to more easily access government data on all citizens/residents (which they already have but are usually pressed to locate). There must be some bigger reason for this down the line.
Incidentally, what ‘nationality’ will be given to those waiting years to confirm their status or will this take a decade like the license plates? and what happens when someone loses, launders, accidently damages their card?
Fix the damn dump
Deal with the god damn traffic. It’s absolutely appalling. I can’t imagine what tourists etc. must think.
Looks like another nonsense scheme that’ll cost plenty and be useless. Bigger fish to fry than this.
Those that have nothing to hide have nothing to fear
11:21 That’s not the point.. it’s an invasion of privacy. Plus the more we make our personal information easier to access the easier it will be to steal.
The “nothing to hide” argument mistakenly suggests that privacy is something only criminals desire.
Fences and curtains are ways to ensure a measure of privacy, not indicators of criminal behavior. Privacy is a fundamental part of a dignified life.
“nothing to hide” should not be a license for sweeping government surveillance.
All of this accessible data will be hacked and sold/resold, almost immediately. It’s like we are itching for a GDPR supernova.
Ignorance is a beating stick for backs of fools. Those who lack knowledge and understanding have much to learn.
Keeping trusting government to do the right thing and see how far that gets you.
Privacy and nothing to hide are compatible. The point is that disclosing personal information is voluntary (not obligatory).
This government seem desperate to employ as many people as possible and to spend as much money as possible whilst achieving absolutely nothing.
Hundreds of issues not for those who want this place turn into their police state for their safety and well being of their elite friends and business interest . What we need to watch is who will be policing this government program?
There’re hundreds urgent issues in Cayman. National ID is not one of them.
I have a driver’s license and a voter ID- don’t need anything else.
Try opening a bank account, buying land, or starting a company, armed only with those. Then you will understand.
Passport
Recent utility bill
Source of funds ltr
Sorted
The only thing that took forever was the eternity it took for the wukkless staff to process the application. Literally took months of follow-up (by me) to keep them processing the application.
Is the Ombudsman/Data Commissioner weighing in?!
ID system to register the few remaining generational Caymanians.
We’re like the blue iguana or what……caiman?
Multi-generational Caymanians should have such content-specific recognition, which is part of the foundational history and heritage of the Cayman Islands.
How do you define generational Caymanian? If you have a child with a non-Caymanian, is that child a generational Caymanian?
Maybe the director of “eGovernment” should fix the dam E system especially the planning dept section, Its all gone to shit. Then he can waste time on this pointless national ID
Badges… we don’t needs no stinking badges!
Step 1 – National ID Card
Step 2 – Central electronic currency
Step 3 – Combined
Step 4 – you’re completely screwed.
If you don’t understand, you’re already gone
Mark of the beast coming soon.
Step 0 – microchips
Make it mandatory for all residents, WP holders, PR holders and Caymanians over the age of 16 to have a compulsory ID which matches their finger prints.
Would help solve a lot of criminal cases.
Unfortunately, a compulsory ID, which matches their finger tips, is not likely to solve white collar crimes, where lawyers, accountants, bankers and/or financial service providers have had involvement.
Or crimes where the criminal wears gloves.
Exactly.
or Ministers?
Should this still concern me first ?
https://caymannewsservice.com/2022/04/ministry-exposes-over-1000-names-of-stipend-recipients/
6 months? CIG will take 6 months? I’m laughing my head off. Lets be realistic and call it abut 3 years at the very least.
LOL it will NEVER really be done, look at the license plates
Read the Auditor General’s report, and watch the recent Public Accounts performance. It only took
at least 7 years to get to this point of legislation and not the actual card. Remember these are some of the same people that created the moniker of careless and worthless and are related to the old telephone God.
CNS where is the old L🤣L button. You would have surely gotten some good laughs with this one.
Will this be compatible with fundamental privacy rights, both domestic (s.9, Bill of Rights) and international (s.8, European Convention on Human Rights), as well as the Data Protection Act?
This seems quite sensitive to abuse and put the put the Cayman Islands on a slippery slope.
What a bunch of self serving rhetoric… you sound like one of the dinosaurs down here having difficulty with a transparent world. Are you part of the many strata/hoa bank accounts misused over the years to avoid the reporting of fatca/crs?
Sour about strata matters, are you? Is so, report anything that you believe is fit and proper.
Not particularly there are just many cases waiting for a court date. It is one of the last areas not directly subject to CIMA/DCI rule and facilitating all kind of illegal behavior usually with assistance of some fairly slimy property managers. Now what you should complain about is public registries…why does Cayman needs to be first to get rid of privacy?
Did you forget to tell Uncle Sam about your condos, or the income from them?
No. Forgot to tell my wife. She’s going to throw a hissy fit.
The smart people agree with you.
Are you going give up your passport due privacy rights?!
Completely different.
Another waste of government money
No. A great way for government to save money, minimize waste, reduce the civil service, increase compliance, increase efficiencies and modernize Cayman.
you must be insane to think anything will be streamlined in the civil service
I live in hope.
Says the Minister Financial Services, Commerce and Innovation.
If so, he is right!
Where is the LOL button?
Once again Wayne and Saunders showing their focus making things easier for everyone to live here except Caymanians.
Isn’t that the truth. PACT is, and not been, living up to its acronym.
If this can work as a voter ID, drivers license and passport (for inter island travel or entry home to Cayman)all rolled into one – then sign me up!
Passport for inter island travel – lol. Because you need one to travel to the sister islands. Why not go the whole hog and have one for travel to the people’s republic of West Bay.
Try taking a boat through international waters from Cayman to the Brac without a passport or formal clearance.
You are surely wrong!
bring it in for all residents. end of story.
everyone needs to carry a form of id.
Police State? Gestapo?
Police? We have police?
Not real ones.
Why does everyone need to carry a form of ID?
No reason, other than for big brother CIG to invade privacy, even more than it does now.
It will be just like when I lived in Oman.
you needed your ID for everything.
The first steps to a police state
Hard no.
This is comical! LOL!
Cost of Living Crisis – NADA
Housing/Rent Crisis – NAH TODAY, BOBO
Poor Education Levels – ZILCH
Crime Escalation – CRICKETS
Traffic woes – YOU’RE ON YA OWN, TEEDEE
But hey, at least we have national IDs to tell us who we already know we are!!! Whooo hooo! That’ll really help us! LOL
Worthless WORC and unmitigated abuse of immigration laws.
just one of the steps on the road to income tax… can’t wait!!
Actually, to the contrary. If used as intended it would make government so efficient there would never be any prospect of any need for income tax ever arising.
It could also bring an end to the many hundreds of non Caymanians feeding at the government trough.
If the Ministers could stop feeding at the trough and milking the public cow, that would be a huge help.
And a mass exodus that would follow!
Movement of Jah people.
Maybe this system could finally tell the ESO how many people live here.
They would still need to come by to scan you, then ask how many radios, telephones, and computers you own. Until the hack attack at least.
So does this mean we only have to provide WORC/immigration with our card and not endless notarized copies of our birth certificates over and over again. I have spent almost $1000 since I have been here getting the same few documents notarized again and again and again!
HAHA no now we’ll need a notarised copy of our birth certificate AND ID!
Make sure you are not getting charged illegal rates by notaries, instead of the statutory fee under the Schedule to the Notary Publics Act.
I never paid Notary fees as go to government building and they do it for free!
No parking.
Soooo … I guess this will solve the who is Caymanian debate … since it is an IMMIGRATION STATUS and not a nationality !!!
Yup. FINALLY!
The elections office may have some explaining to do in the process.
Correct. There is no such thing as being a Caymanian as a nationality. We are British Overseas Territory citizens (BOTC).
Cayman Status or the right to be Caymanian (be it acknowledged, continued or confirmed by way of lineage) is an immigration status allowing you to live and work with little (Cayman Status) to no restrictions (Acknowledgement, Continuation or Confirmation of Right).
This to be voted on by the people, not a deceptive group of Lodge.
Don’t bet on it! You know the lodge runs the show.
Says who?
Before all the conspiracy theorists start…. It’s just an ID that makes it easier to access Government services, that’s it ! Nothing else to see here
You keep drinking that KoolAid! This will be needed for everything, whether dealing with the private or public sector, and ordinary life will be harder and harder unless you agree to giving the government all the information they could possibly want on the card. State ID cards always take that pattern, sold as limited in scope and use, but quickly leverage via the private sector to be a massive demand on personal information. And can you trust CIG not to be hacked when it ends up with all that data?
Unfortunately, you may very well be correct.
World Economic Forum would gladly approves of this ID system.
social credit scores, food distribution, housing…
Before you start saying its a mere ID, you should ask how is the legislation worded?
And what are the microchip capabilities.
CarePay 2.0 beta, which will surely cost many millions more than necessary, will also extend and harmonize the unspoken echeloned tiers of service, the interference, and the obstruction, across all government departments, amplifying the consequences of errors and the deliberate mistreatment of Paper Caymanian, Caymanian by marriage, naturalized/PR holder, and guest worker. “Finally”, will be sighed by a minority of determined meddlers who feel threatened by 20 years of merit-based voter base diversification. It’s a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist.
Don’t be silly!!!!!
oh look, another shiny program the government pays millions for, making somebody rich. Maybe this time the money making program will actually be used???
It will be used for them, not for you.
“Where are your papers?” Best uttered in a faux German accent.
The idea that the public will be able to limit the amount of information they provide is a joke. Businesses and authorities will demand the information that is “optional” and expect the bearer to include it on their card.
Will it indicate if you are Caymanian?
Yes. I saw a closeup example of the ID somewhere the other day… CMR or Compass. Example said “Caymanian” and noted that was one of the key features to cut down on paperwork to prove status.
It cannot be on the face of the card because it changes. Large numbers of persons lose their status every year just by turning 18. It is also an irrelevance for most things. Are we literally going to a place where whether or not the policeman tickets you is influenced by whether you are Caymanian or not? Yes the card should have that data, but not on its face.
“Large numbers of persons lose their status every year just by turning 18.”
That is correct and it is in need of amending to not unfairly adversely affect interests of children and young persons.
Nonsense. The reasons for the loss are entirely legitimate, proportionate, and fair – to those that understand the system – if only it is equally applied.
Those over 18 aren’t children or young persons anymore. The only children/dependents losing their status at 18 are those that failed to apply for Continuance as an adult grownup at 18. It can be applied for while 17, with full continuity before the following birthday. With ID, Continuance letter, and application, they can then apply online at elections.ky to be added to the next voter register Gazette. Time to put your big pants on.
Through the chip, yes. On the face of the card, probably not.
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