Smart cards - Monday 29, March-2004
by Roy R. Morris
Adult Barbadians are about to be fingerprinted – that is, if they want the benefit of a soon-to-be-introduced new Barbados identification card.
And in their pockets they will carry some of the most critical medical data, as well as vital security information that will speed up interaction with some of the most important Government agencies, including Immigration, police and National Insurance.
It’s all part of a move by Government, led by the Electoral and Boundaries Commission, to introduce a tamper-proof national card that, if stolen, would be of little use to anyone but the genuine owner for critical transactions.
A source close to the Office of the Prime Minister said in an interview with the DAILY NATION that some preliminary discussions had already been held with key Government departments, and it was expected that once all the preparatory work was completed all existing cards would be replaced over a two-year period.
According to the source, the Electoral Office had already started planning for a new ID, similar in make to those issued by commercial banks for credit and Automatic Teller Machine use, when it was decided to “take a step back and evaluate fully the technology” available.
As a result, authorities have settled on a card that will carry each person’s photograph, an electronically acquired fingerprint, and a microchip with the holder’s personal data, including national registration number and date of birth.
It is the combination of these features that will make it virtually impossible for an individual who obtains a card for fraudulent purposes to make any significant use of it.
The source said discussions had been held with such agencies as the Immigration Department, Royal Barbados Police Force, National Insurance Department (NIS) and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), which will have the facilities to place information on the card, or read what is on it that pertains to their operations.
Former Hospital Director at the QEH, Andrew Watson, confirmed yesterday that he had been a part of discussions on the new cards, noting it would be a vital part of the hospital’s move to streamline record-keeping in a totally electronic environment.
“Once all the parties get it right, it will make a major difference in the management of records,” he said. “You are talking about being able to move from hospital to polyclinic, or one department to the next, with your medical records.”
This was supported by a senior Immigration official, who said the combination of the fingerprint and encrypted information, which frauds would not be able to duplicate, would make it virtually impossible for anyone to turn up at a port of entry and present a bogus Barbados ID card.
“We have decided that this is the best way to go since it would give the cards greater utility,” the Government official said. “I will not be able to read NIS information on the card, and they will not be able to read hospital data; but when you present your card at the NIS they will have the ‘key’ to unlock their own information.”
Another highly placed Government official said the Barbados Licensing Authority was originally planning to incorporate the driver’s licence into the new national ID card, but the need to urgently clean up a number of matters relating to licences required them to go ahead on their own.
“I believe the long-term plan is to incorporate the driver’s licence into the new smart ID card,” the official revealed.
Earlier this year, local authorities uncovered a racket in Antigua in which altered Barbados ID cards were being issued to people living in that country and Guyana who were trying to enter the United States illegally. The existing Barbados ID card is said to be one of the easiest to tamper with anywhere.
• roymorris@nationnews.com
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