To respond to the Corona 19 epidemic, digital passports are being introduced around the world to prove the results of PCR tests and whether or not to be vaccinated. What are the importance of digital passports, which are attracting attention as a response to the Corona 19 epidemic, and what are the tasks that researchers claim?
Vaccination Certificates Showing Infectious Vaccinations History has reported that in the 1880s, some schools required students and teachers to present cards proving that they were vaccinated against smallpox. Also, in the 1960s, a yellow card was issued to a person who was vaccinated against yellow fever. Residents of certain areas where yellow fever is currently prevalent are required to present a yellow card when entering or leaving the country.
In 2020, when the Corona 19 pandemic, when traveling in many countries, I came to look for a new coronavirus negative certificate. This way, people are faced with the need to undergo PCR testing and get a negative certificate even if they have no symptoms before travel, but there are reports that some are buying a fake novel coronavirus negative certificate through the dark path.
While the Corona 19 vaccine is being launched in the United Kingdom or the United States, what has attracted attention is the PCR test result and a digital passport that proves whether the vaccine was vaccinated. If you can simply prove your vaccination record or health status with a smartphone app, etc., it will be of great help in efforts to control the Corona 19 epidemic and restore the economy. Digital passports are likely to be introduced not only for long-distance travel, but also for movie theaters, passenger ships, and sports facilities.
In the U.S., it plans to distribute cards to those who have been vaccinated against Corona 19, so that medical providers, vaccine manufacturers, and vaccination dates can be identified. Meanwhile, since the health organization does not issue clear guidelines for PCR test results and vaccine digital certificates, companies and non-profit organizations are developing health passport applications respectively. The passport app developer aims to provide credible credentials such as Yellow Card, and claims that verification by smartphone app is more difficult to forge than paper documents.
IBM is also one of the companies developing health passports. It has already completed pilot testing through an application called Digital Health Pass. The digital health pass is expected to be implemented in major sports facilities, and the company says it needs such a solution to resume the economy and save certain industries. If you don’t have an app that proves your safety, it could have a negative impact on the travel and entertainment industry.
In addition, Clear, a security company that develops biometric technology that verifies identities such as airports, has already launched an app called Health Pass. This app is used by some professional sports teams and insurance companies, and you can check the results of employee PCR tests in the app. In the future, it is planned to be able to check the presence or absence of vaccination in the application program.
The most widely known for the Corona 19 digital passport application is CommonPass, developed by the Swiss non-profit organization (Commons Project Foundation). The Foundation says the app may be a new general demand needed to control and contain the COVID-19 pandemic.
The foundation, which had been developing software to search and use its own medical data before Corona 19, built a health passport application in East African countries as the epidemic broke out. This application was primarily aimed at verifying the results of truck driver PCR tests, allowing drivers to deliver luggage from ports to inland countries.
The foundation has cooperated with the World Economic Forum to develop a broader global digital passport app. Common Pass verifies data such as negative PCR test results and supports people to use international flights when traveling abroad. Already, places like United Airlines, JetBlue and Lufthansa are planning to introduce Commonpass.
Passengers who want to use an international flight with a Common Pass introduced must obtain a negative result from the PCR test, obtain a verification code generated by the application, and present the verification code at the airport check-in counter and boarding gate. It provides an option to print a confirmation code just like a paper boarding pass so that users without smartphones can respond.
However, there are warnings that there are various risks in the technology of indicating the presence or absence of vaccinations, such as paper vaccination certificates, smartphone digital passports, and the like. For example, if many places start to require proof by digital passport for access, there is a risk of division of society due to a gap between those who hold digital passports and those who do not. As digital passports become more common, people with limited access to vaccines and online tools for some reason may have difficulty working or traveling. One expert pointed out that public health protection has historically been used as a substitute for discrimination, and pointed out that digital passports may serve as an excuse to keep certain people away.
In addition, the management of medical data using digital passports poses risks to individuals. App developers take privacy seriously, claiming that airlines and employers can access detailed data about users through the app. Nevertheless, some experts point out that you should be cautious about adopting technology until you understand how it works fairly. Related information can be found here .
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