Coming Soon: The ‘Vaccine Passport’

[AppDefects]

According to the New York Times in the near future, travel may require digital documentation showing that passengers have been vaccinated or tested for the coronavirus. One of President Biden’s executive orders aimed at curbing the pandemic asks government agencies to “assess the feasibility” of linking coronavirus vaccine certificates with other vaccination documents, and producing digital versions of them.

The race is on to create a document or app that is accepted around the world, that protects privacy and is accessible to people regardless of their wealth or access to smartphones.

[Early_Adopter]

Various claims based systems can handle this kind of thing well, the thing is coming up with something everyone trusts, with simple registration and enrolment linked to good certification and record keeping of the jab(and some way to catch cheats).

Sadly, looking at the vaccine scramble I fear that “Regardless of wealth or access to smartphones” will end up being given lip service only - there is a derisory amount being spent of the vaccines, especially given the global cost.

The rich are not taking care of the poor raising questions of ethics and efficacy, a global immunity gradient could prove a very training ground for vaccine escape.

[Caute_cautim]

@AppDefectsWhat about a digital health pass?  https://www.ibm.com/products/digital-health-pass

I agree, it will be a race, to get to the head of the queue damn the ethics, seniority, level of richness and being used to it, will rule the roost in many cases, either that or people will change countries.

This thing called COVID-19 is going to be around for many years, and then you have the antivaxers, who will expect to take up hospital beds, denying them to people who really do need them etc.

There is a long way to go.

Regards

Caute_Cautim

[denbesten]

---

@Caute_cautim wrote:

...and then you have the antivaxers, who will expect to take up hospital beds, denying them to people who really do need them etc.

Anti-vaxers, smokers, thrill-seekers and many Darwin award candidates are supposed to have the same level of access to a bed as everyone else.  In theory, "fault" is irrelevant in patient care.  Triaging patients is all about the seriousness of their condition and the ability to improve/stabilize. 

I was reminded of this when my local authorities announced that younger smokers could step ahead of me in the vaccine line.  Took me a while to realize that it is the same medical ethics in action.  The goal is overall risk reduction, not playing judge.

[Caute_cautim]

@denbestenAnd to be quite frank, whether there is a probability they will pull through or in fact are too far gone.

I agree, it is allow risk and probabilities as well as resources.

Regards

Caute_cautim

[Early_Adopter]

So of all the things out there this attitude makes the most sense to me as Covid will absolutely not respect national borders:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-trade-wto-nigeria/incoming-wto-head-warns-vaccine-nationalism-cou...

[rslade]

I'm not holding my breath, waiting for one.

I have, previously, mentioned John McAfee's "enterprise" regarding a similar
certificate or passport for swingers in the time of AIDS. The thing just isn't
workable, at best, and, at worst, it can be a positive danger.

You're going to have to carry some kind of document or card. Let's say it's a card.
Now, does it just give contact info for a centralized database? (One version I saw
just used a QR code on your phone, so that definitely seems to just be a "pointer"
situation.) *How* centralized? This is going to be used for international travel,
one would think, if it is going to be used at all. So which countries are going to
sign on? And which are going to accept a database in some other jurisdiction?
And which are going to accept having their citizens' data stored by someone else?

OK, so what if we make it a smart card and store it on the phone. Same problems
with jurisdiction. Which countries are going to agree (within the next few
months, please) to a standard for data storage on such a card? And start producing
them, all to the same specs.

Then we have the data. There are the details of the vaccine. Which version of
the vaccine? Which lot number? What is the date of administration? (Oh, and,
by the way, all vaccine administration points are going to have to be prepared to
input *and verify* all this information at the time you get your shot.) (Every
single nurse-practitioner's office and pharmacy.) (And the details of who entered
the info is going to have to be there as well, for verification.) Is it a multi-shot
regimen? Did you get your booster?

That's a lot of data. And, if someone gets access to it, a lot more can be inferred
from it. Like where you were on a given date and time ...

Oh, and, by the way, there are some additional data poitns we should add. Like,
have you been tested? What type of test? What date? Et Cetrea. Et Cetera.

I see *lots* of problems ...

======================
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[Caute_cautim]

@rslade  It is already here, the problem is the adoption, and standardisation, and agreement on standards - its all about Architectural Decision Points (ADPs).  We can do this, if you want to travel again, freely we will need this, rather than be hemmed in, locked away and hidden in our current self committed dungeons.

Think positive, think with innovation - we have to change.

Regards

Caute_cautim

[rslade]

... And someone just reminded me: I forgot about blockchain. Somebody is going
to come out with some loony idea about using blockchain to fix all those problems
...

BLOCKCHAIN IS NOT THE ANSWER!!!

======================
rslade@gmail.com rmslade@outlook.com rslade@computercrime.org
"If you do buy a computer, don't turn it on." - Richards' 2nd Law
"Robert Slade's Guide to Computer Viruses" 0-387-94663-2
"Viruses Revealed" 0-07-213090-3
"Software Forensics" 0-07-142804-6
"Dictionary of Information Security" Syngress 1-59749-115-2
"Cybersecurity Lessons from CoVID-19" CRC Press 978-0-367-68269-9
============= for back issues:
[Base URL] site http://victoria.tc.ca/techrev/
CISSP refs: [Base URL]mnbksccd.htm
PC Security: [Base URL]mnvrrvsc.htm
Security Dict.: [Base URL]secgloss.htm
Security Educ.: [Base URL]comseced.htm
Book reviews: [Base URL]mnbk.htm
[Base URL]review.htm
Partial/recent: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/techbooks/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Slade
https://is.gd/RotlWB http://twitter.com/rslade
http://blogs.securiteam.com/index.php/archives/author/p1/

[Early_Adopter]

Even if what they really want is a tamper resistant distributed database that you they run on other people’s computers..?