The “vaccine passport” indicating the presence or absence of a new coronavirus vaccine has begun to work and there are privacy concerns – GIGAZINE

The introduction of a “vaccine passport” indicating that the new coronavirus vaccine has been inoculated is being considered around the world.Microsoft and Oracle are developing vaccine passport applicationsIt is also reported that. Meanwhile, New York State is a vaccine passport app developed by IBM “Excelsior PassIt officially became operational on March 26, 2021. While it is welcomed as “a balance between public health and the economy,” privacy concerns have been noted to persist.

Excelsior Pass | Vaccine for COVID-19
https://covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/excelsior-pass

Governor Cuomo Announces Launch of Excelsior Pass to Help Accelerate Reopening of Businesses and Entertainment Venues Statewide | Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-announces-launch-excelsior-pass-help-fast-track-reopening-businesses-and

Cuomo’s Covid Vaccine Passport Raises Privacy Concerns
https://theintercept.com/2021/03/24/andrew-cuomo-covid-ibm-blockchain/

New YorkAndrew CuomoOn March 26, 2021, the governor announced the official start of operations of the “Excelsior Pass” vaccine passport application.

Excelsior Pass is a health information query system provided by IBM.Digital Health PassIt is developed based on the above, and a QR code is issued indicating information such as “presence or absence of new coronavirus vaccination” and “new coronavirus infection test results” and displayed on the smartphone screen. The organizer of a restaurant or event can learn the user’s vaccination information and test results by scanning the QR code displayed on the smartphone screen.

Governor Cuomo said: “By using the Excelsior Pass, you can verify vaccination information and test results while protecting your personal information. This will allow you to use theaters, stadiums, arenas, wedding banquets, catering events, and so on. hold the event safely. “” Until now, we have been forced to choose between “public health or economic activities.” By using the Excelsior Pass, we can achieve both public health and economic activities.

On the other hand, he is the founder of The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (STOP), a non-profit organization that promotes the protection of privacy.Albert fox khan“Governor Cuomo has posted a screenshot of the Excelsior Pass, but did not publish his privacy policy,” he said. In contrast to Governor Cuomo’s statement that he “uses secure technology using blockchain” to protect the privacy of Excelsior Pass, “Governor Cuomo uses the phrase ‘blockchain’ to make Excelsior Pass. I’m not sure about the technology related to the privacy of. “

Regarding the handling of blockchain in Digital Health Pass, which is the foundation of Excelsior Pass, IBM said: “In Digital Health Pass, data is trusted by decentralized data management using blockchain and strict signature verification. I am ensuring the sex”.Commentarydoing.

But,Johns Hopkins UniversityStudy information security atMatthew green“There is no reason to use blockchain to manage data in vaccine passport applications,” he said, requiring that information related to the new coronavirus be trusted by medical institutions and health authorities, not by blockchain.

The Excelsior Pass has already been released for Android and iOS, but Kahn said: “Millions of people without smartphones live in New York. The Excelsior Pass creates a new form of digital divide. It could bring it.” Many researchers have also expressed concern that “vaccine passports can create inequality.”

Researchers are concerned that the introduction of “digital passports” to test the results of the new corona PCR test and the presence or absence of vaccination will lead to inequality – GIGAZINE