With vaccines now being distributed and administered in the United States and around the world to combat the coronavirus pandemic, plans are underway to produce technologies that can assess who was and who was not inoculated.
According to a new report from CNN, several international organizations and large companies – including the World Economic Forum and IBM – have started “developing applications or systems for smartphones for individuals to upload details of their COVID-19 tests and vaccinations, creating digital credentials that could be shown to enter concert halls, stadiums, cinemas, offices or even countries. “
One of the emerging technologies, known as the CommonPass app, being developed by the World Economic Forum and The Commons Project, a non-profit organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, allows users to upload medical data, such as a COVID-19 test or, eventually, proof of vaccination. The application then generates a certificate in the form of a QR code, which users can show employees without revealing confidential information.
The well-known technology company IBM also created its own application, called Digital Health Pass, which operates in the same way, but would store credentials in a mobile wallet.
Future accreditation systems could function as “vaccine passports,” noted the CNN report, allowing vaccinated people to provide a record showing that they received an injection to enter places or travel abroad.
But new technologies also raise a number of questions, such as whether those who choose not to be vaccinated, or perhaps simply choose not to allow their medical information to be shared, will be prevented from entering participating countries or locations. Not to mention the fact that a large part of the world population still does not have access to smartphones or the internet.
The news is almost certain to trigger a new round of debate over the extent to which individual freedom and privacy can be violated in the name of public health, especially since many may still be afraid of receiving a vaccine.
However, the development of such technologies continues. Two large groups are even working to establish universal standards for accreditation systems.
According to CNN, “The Linux Foundation has partnered with the Covid-19 Credentials Initiative, a collective of more than 300 people representing dozens of organizations on five continents”, to make standardized vaccine passports a reality.