WILMINGTON – CastleBranch, based in North Carolina, a consumer reporting agency, has launched its own version of a “digital vaccine passport”.
The Wilmington-based company, backed by anti-counterfeiting technology, is now issuing ID cards from Real Vaccination as evidence for the COVID-19 vaccination.
“Tracking, storing and reviewing complex medical documents – including vaccine records – is what we do,” said its CEO Brett Martin, who founded the agency more than 20 years ago, to WRAL TechWire.
“If we can help people prove their vaccination status against COVID-19 and help them get back to everyday life, this is a summit worth climbing.”
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North Carolina is now administering Phizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to adults aged 65 and over and to residents and employees of long-term care institutions as part of its phased vaccine distribution plan. It is not yet clear when the general public will be eligible for vaccines.
Currently, many organizations, including the CDC, issue only paper forms to confirm an individual’s vaccination status.
In contrast, CastleBranch ID cards will be paired with a unique access code. With permission, this code can be used to electronically verify an individual’s identity and vaccination status and view their validated vaccination documents.
The cards also include anti-counterfeiting technology, such as ultraviolet ink, microtext, holographic film and silver foil to prevent fraud and counterfeiting.
“Third parties can accept the physical card as is, knowing that the security features included on the card, as well as the independent review by an accredited organization, have been completed to obtain the card,” said Martin.
Perhaps most importantly, individuals maintain complete control and ownership of their own personal data.
“Private data about the individual will never be shared or collected in a database and distributed to third parties by CastleBranch,” he said.
Does digital health pass, the future?
Although CastleBranch claims that its cards are the first ones available on the market that are specific to the COVID-19 vaccination status, an increasing number of major technology companies are moving in the same direction.
IBM recently launched the “Digital Health Pass” to help organizations check an individual’s vaccine status and any other relevant health credentials.
Meanwhile, Microsoft, Oracle and Salesforce are among several renowned companies, along with The Mayo Clinic, supporting a coalition effort to develop and deploy a digital health card that would include vaccination records.
Last Thursday, the group announced the Vaccination Credential Initiative (VCI) in New York.
Its mission: to create a standard open source model for how hospitals, pharmacies and clinics that administer Covid-19 vaccines make digital records of immunizations, which can be provided to patients who want them.
Martin, however, is not interested in joining the effort.
“Unfortunately, many large technology companies have a history of collecting, selling or using an individual’s private data in ways that we simply disagree with,” he said.
“Individuals must have their own data – control their personal self-sovereign digital identities – not advertisers or search engines. Real Vaccination ID is our initial offering to help people collect and control their own personal data to help them progress throughout their lives. “