Atherley questions Seek and Save data use

Opposition Leader Bishop Joseph Atherley has expressed concern about the management of citizens’ personal information which has been gathered through the Operation Seek and Save initiative.

Speaking on the Barbados Identity Management Bill in the House of Assembly on Tuesday, Bishop Atherley said he was concerned about how the information would be utilised when collated, and its future use, storage and management.

The campaign, run by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the University of the West Indies ended over the weekend but has resumed for another two days.

The Opposition Leader said: “How and where it is stored and who would have access to that, and for what purpose beyond the current exercise would it be used. We are being told through advertised messages and all kinds of stuff that you don’t have to give names, you don’t have to do this, you don’t have to do that. But what I hear people saying to me that these are some of the very things we are asked to do, that we are asked to provide. Now you can’t be suggesting one thing as being the regime, and then in practice, in reality, something else applies. Somebody ought to put that right.”

Bishop Atherley said that people should be informed whether the information would be used beyond the purview of those at UWI tasked with managing the project, the Ministry of Health, or other relevant public sector entities.

He said he understands the importance of the exercise in the management of the current COVID-19 outbreak but declared that people need to know what would be done with their personal information once the project has been completed.

Turning to the Barbados Identity Management Bill which seeks to introduce a new digital ID card, he said the legislation makes provision for the holder of a national ID card or national identity credential having to notify the chief electoral officer of any change of address within 30 days. But he noted that some people, particularly young men, have multiple changes of residential address.

Bishop Atherley suggested that although he understands the need for the National ID to reflect the holder’s relevant information, it could be difficult for someone constantly changing addresses to have to inform authorities of the change within the given time period outlined on the Bill.

Attorney General Dale Marshall, QC, said the pending Digital ID would include a chip containing the holder’s personal information including their driver’s licence, fingerprint, and medical information if they so desire.

Bishop Atherley said: “Now, we are told that this information can be shared with other Government entities. I am not too sure what that means. If you are using an ID card of course you can use it with one state entity and you can use it with another. But we are not made to understand the context in which that would be occasioned and that is a question that remains unanswered.

“I don’t have any significantly strong objections to the Bill. I just raised those objections and to ask for some answers which to others might be obvious but to me, not so.” (AH)