Government is stressing that the digital ID system currently being rolled out is not mandatory.

Minister of Industry, Innovation, Science and Technology, Davidson Ishmael, issued the clarification to STARCOM Network News following concerns expressed by members of the public.

Simultaneously, an article from Jamaica has been circulated on social media here highlighting the fact that in 2019 the Jamaica Constitutional Court struck down that country’s mandatory biometric national identification and registration act and registration system ruling that it violated constitutional privacy protections.

Mr. Ishmael denies Barbados’ system is compulsory.

He sought to explain the rationale for the new system.

Minister of Industry, Innovation, Science and Technology, Davidson Ishmael