As vaccines are now being distributed and administered in the United States and around the world to combat the coronavirus pandemic, there are plans to manufacture technologies that can determine who has and who has not been vaccinated.
According to a new CNN report, several international organizations and large corporations – including the World Economic Forum and IBM – have begun developing smartphone programs or systems for individuals to upload details of their COVID-19 tests and vaccinations, which digitally create referees that may be displayed to enter concert halls, stadiums, cinemas, offices or even countries. ‘
One of the emerging technologies, known as the CommonPass app, developed by the World Economic Forum and The Commons Project, a non-profit organization in Geneva, Switzerland, enables users to view medical data such as a COVID-19 -test or finally a proof of vaccination. The app then generates a certificate in the form of a QR code that users can report to officials without revealing sensitive information.
The well-known technology firm IBM has also created its own app, called the Digital Health Pass, which works in the same way but is stored in a mobile wallet.
According to the CNN report, the upcoming credential systems could work as ‘vaccine passports’, allowing vaccinated people to give a record showing that they were given a chance to enter places or travel abroad.
But the new technologies also raise several questions, such as whether those who choose not to be vaccinated, or perhaps simply prefer not to allow their medical information to be shared, will allow access to participating venues or countries. This is not even to mention the fact that many of the world’s population still do not have access to smartphones or the internet.
The news will almost certainly spark a new round of debate on the extent to which individual freedom and privacy can be exceeded in the name of public health, especially as many are still wary of receiving a vaccine.
Nevertheless, the development of such technologies continues. Two large groups are even setting universal standards for the belief 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 across five continents,’ to make standardized vaccine passports come true.