As vaccines are administered around the world, there is a growing need to have some kind of digital document to prove that travelers are protected against Covid-19.
It is important to note that, although these documents are referred to as ‘passport’, none of these applications is a passport and in any case a passport or ID card would need to be presented along with all the information contained in the application. A passport is an official document issued by a government to identify a person as a citizen of that country.
These digital applications are ‘approved’ and simply contain information about the health status of Covid-19 travelers, such as test results and eventually vaccines. The passes are likely to appear as apps on smartphones and would have to be recognized by individual governments to allow international travel.
In this article, we present a summary of the different passes that are currently being evaluated.In this article, we present a summary of the different passes that are currently being evaluated.
AOKPass
Which entity is responsible?
The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has collaborated with International SOS and SGS Group to create this digital, secure and portable medical registration pass.
How does it work?
Once people receive medical results, they can enter the information into the app. A unique code is generated and shown to the individual and their doctor for them to verify the information. They will then be able to show the QR code for scanning at airports.
Where is it available?
Once people receive medical results, they can enter the information into the app. A unique code is generated and shown to the individual and their doctor for them to verify the information. They will then be able to show the QR code for scanning at airports.
Is my data secure?
AoKpass states that medical records are stored only on your device and will not be shared or stored elsewhere.The pass is verified without the need to show any personal or medical information, and travelers can “choose when and where to share their information”.Which entity is responsible? How does it work?Once people receive medical results, they can enter the information into the app. A unique code is generated and shown to the individual and their doctor for them to verify the information. They will then be able to show the QR code for scanning at airports.
Common Pass
Who is responsible for it?
The Commons Project has partnered with the World Economic Forum to launch the Common Pass digital health pass.
How does it work?
Laboratory results and vaccination records will be accessed through existing health data systems,national or local records or digital personal health records, such as Apple Health and Common Health.
Individuals will need to consent to the information being used to validate their Covid status.
The technology will then assess whether the results and records come from a reliable source and whether they meet the health screening requirements of the country in which they wish to enter.
There will be a simple yes / no answer to find out if the individual meets the registration criteria. Travelers will receive a unique confirmation code that they can show at the airport to board their flight.
The Common Pass also states that anyone who doesn’t have smartphones can print a confirmation code and show it at the airport.
Where is it available?
The first tests were completed in October with Cathay Pacific between Hong Kong and Singapore and United Airlines between London and New York.
Since then, operators such as ANA, Jetblue, Lufthansa, Swiss and Virgin Atlantic have tested the technology.
Is my data safe?
The Common Pass states that it will not reveal “any other underlying personal health information” and that Apple Health and Common Health “allow individuals to store their health records securely and privately on their phones, completely under their control”.
Digital Green Certificate
Who is responsible for it?
The European Commission has presented a proposal for a digital green certificate to facilitate free movement in the EU.
How does it work?
The document will provide proof that an individual has been vaccinated against Covid-19, recovered from the virus or received a negative test result, avoiding discrimination against individuals who have not been vaccinated.
The Commission states that “expects [Member States] to take into account this
evidence of people’s Covid-19 status in order to facilitate travel” and that “having a certificate is not a prerequisite for the exercise of the right to free movement or other fundamental rights “. Citizens can also request a paper alternative, both in digital and on paper, with a QR code containing essential information and a digital stamp to “make sure the certificate is authentic”.
Where is it available?
Digital green certificates will be free, bilingual and valid in all EU Member States, allowing all EU citizens or third-country nationals residing or legally residing in the EU to be exempt from quarantine restrictions.
The certificate will also be open to Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said the certificate would be operational by the end of June.
Is my data safe?
The digital green certificate will contain data such as name, date of birth, date of issue, relevant information about vaccine / test / recovery and a QR code with digital signature to ensure security . and authenticity.
This will be scanned and verified by member states – the European Commission will work with countries to develop software for authorities to scan QR codes.
The European Commission will create a portal to ensure that all certificates can be verified across the EU. Personal data will be secure and information “cannot be retained by the countries visited”.
Health Pass by Clear
Who is responsible for it?
Airport biometrics provider Clear has moved into the public health field in the United States,launching a Health Pass within its mobile app.
How does it work?
This service is designed for companies to keep employees and customers safe. First, users must add an ID and verify their identity with a selfie. They can then complete a health survey in real time and upload Covid-related laboratory results directly from an approved laboratory supplier.
Once at aparticipating location, users must go to the Clear pod and undergo a temperature scan and then show or scan their health pass (by facial recognition or a QR code) to gain access to the location.
The pod will show a red or green light to indicate whether the user has passed or failed screening.
Where is it available?
The Health Pass is being used by more than 35 organizations in various sectors.
Clear also launched partnerships with companies like MGM Resorts and the 9/11 Museum in New York to use the app to detect the virus on its staff.
Is my data safe?
Specific answers to survey questions or any specific test results are not provided to third parties or
employers.
IATA Travel Pass
Who is responsible for it?
The International Air Transport Association has developed the IATA Travel Pass, a digital health pass that will support the safe reopening of borders.
How does it work?
The mobile application contains information required by many authorities. The pass allows authorized laboratories and test centers to securely share test and vaccination certificates with passengers.
Passengers can then create a digital passport and share test or vaccination certificates with airlines and authorities to facilitate travel. In effect, the Travel Pass contains the information to check whether a passenger is eligible to travel. The digital Travel Pass was launched on the Apple platform in April.
Where is it available?
IATA recently partnered with Etihad Airways, Emirates and Qatar Airways to launch the Travel Pass for passengers.
Etihad Airways, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Iberia, Virgin, Singapore Airlines, among others, have been testing the Pass on some of their flights between the Middle East, North America, Europe and Africa.
Is my data safe?
IATA says that the Travel Pass “will keep passengers in control of their data and make it easier to share their tests with airlines and travel authorities”.
IBM Digital Health Pass
Who is responsible for it?
IBM Watson Health designed a digital wallet product for smartphones.
How does it work?
The product allows organizations to verify health credentials for employees, customers and visitors who enter their websites based on their own set of criteria.
This may include Covid-19 test results,temperature scans and vaccine status. The goal is “to bring people back to a physical location, suchas a place of work, school, stadium or flight.”
Where is it available?
At the moment, the National Institutes of Health (part of the United States Department of Health and Human Services) and Salesforce signed up to test the pass.
Salesforce will provide individuals with “a verifiable and privacy-prone way to manage and share their vaccination and health status after the COVID-19 pandemic” through its Salesforce Work.com platform.
The state of New York has also initiated a pilot health pass program, with the aim of eventually providing residents with “a simple, voluntary and safe method to show proof of a negative Covid-19 test result or vaccination certificate. ”.
Is my data safe?
IBM claims that the encrypted digital wallet allows individuals to “control what they share, with whom and for what purpose”. The company adds that, through the use of blockchain technology, the health pass can be “verified, reliable and tamper-proof”.
Mvine-iProov
Who is responsible for it?
The biometric company iProov partnered with cybersecurity group Mvine to launch this passport. It is also supported by Innovate UK – a non-departmental public agency funded by a UK government grant.
How does it work?
This technology allows people to record a test result or vaccination status without revealing their identity. The medical professional who administers the vaccine will be able to create the certificate online using a phone or tablet and then ask the user to add a selfie to their electronic certificate.
The technology “does not discriminate against people based on the type of smartphone they have, and there is a way for those who do not have smartphones – that is, a card-based method.
Where is it available?
It is currently being tested by the NHS Directors of Public Health, with two tests scheduled to be completed by March 2021
Is my data safe?
The certificate is completely anonymous and “does not need to include the person’s name, address, NHS number or any other identifying information”.
When a person wants to present his certificate, he shows, for example, a QR code and just needs to scan his face against the image attached to his certificate online using any cell phone or tablet equipped with the application. According to the providers, “an individual, therefore, cannot be verified without his knowledge and consent … In
addition to the certificate number and biometrics, no other identity information is required or stored
online.”
NHS passport
Who is responsible for it?
The UK government has confirmed that England will use the existing NHS application as a vaccine passport for travel abroad.
How does it work?
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps says the NHS app, which is used to schedule general appointments (not to be confused with what is currently being used to check in at locations for contact tracking), will be able to store results negative tests and vaccine certification.
Where is it available?
Only in England. Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales have not yet made decisions about Covid’s certification for travel abroad.
Scan2Fly
Who is responsible for it?
Air Asia developed this digital health pass in partnership with analytics company GrayMatter.
How does it work?
The application aims to streamline health document checks and determine eligibility to travel.
Passengers will be asked to provide all documents required by the destination country and will then need to scan and upload medical certificates at the time ofonline check-in. AirAsia will then review the documents in real time and approve or reject the status of the trip.
Where is it available?
The technology has already been launched on the routes from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore and Indonesia.
Is my data safe?
Graymatter says its cloud-hosted system is “equipped with robust information security”.
Trust Assure
Who is responsible for it?
Trust Assure is developed by CLX Health, from the United States, and provides a global network of Covid-19 test partners and suppliers with more than 15,000 locations in 50 countries.
How does it work?
The passenger can upload the test documentation before the flight, where it will be “validated by Artificial Intelligence, in less than two minutes”.
Once confirmed, customers will receive a QR code with a “green check”, allowing them to proceed with check-in. The provider states that the standard lifetime of a Trust Assure pass is 30 days, so the consumer will need to be re-tested on the expiration date or earlier to maintain the integrity status of the pass.
Where is it available?
As of March 29, customers traveling on Virgin Atlantic’s five currently operating routes from Heathrow to the United States (New York JFK, Los Angeles, Miami, Boston and Atlanta) will be able to check the results of the Covid-19 test using The technology.
Virgin said the Trust Assure solution has already proven to be “extremely effective” in development and testing by the carrier’s joint venture partner, Delta.
Is my data safe?
The provider claims that it is a “secure portal”.
Vaccine Guard
Who is responsible for it?
The product was developed by technology company Guardtime and is based on a six-month collaboration with the Estonian government and WHO.
How does it work?
The network is an open platform that allows the safe and reliable sharing of information between systems and borders. According to the technology company, “it provides a feedback loop between all participants in the network for use cases as diverse as counterfeit detection, prioritization and assignment of vaccine and pharmacovigilance”.
Where is it available?
At the moment, Estonia, Hungary and Iceland have signed up to pilot the Vaccine Guard, and other governments are expected to join “in the near future”.
Is my data safe?
The company says it employs “leading privacy and security features to protect the patient and other confidential informatic.
This article was published on the Business Traveller website.