{"id":158837,"date":"2021-01-20T17:27:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-20T14:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/we-dont-need-immunity-passports-we-need-verifiable-credentials\/"},"modified":"2021-01-20T17:27:00","modified_gmt":"2021-01-20T14:27:00","slug":"we-dont-need-immunity-passports-we-need-verifiable-credentials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/we-dont-need-immunity-passports-we-need-verifiable-credentials\/","title":{"rendered":"# We don\u2019t need immunity passports, we need verifiable credentials"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a28c8bfae6a5\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a28c8bfae6a5\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/we-dont-need-immunity-passports-we-need-verifiable-credentials\/#Just_how_bad_are_immunity_passports_Very_bad\" >Just how bad are immunity passports? Very bad<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/we-dont-need-immunity-passports-we-need-verifiable-credentials\/#Verifiable_credentials_solve_these_problems\" >Verifiable credentials solve these problems<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/we-dont-need-immunity-passports-we-need-verifiable-credentials\/#We_can_have_our_privacy_and_our_proof_of_vaccination\" >We can have our privacy and our proof of vaccination<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong># We don\u2019t need immunity passports, we need verifiable credentials <\/strong>&#8221;<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.cointelegraph.com\/images\/840_aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy5jb2ludGVsZWdyYXBoLmNvbS91cGxvYWRzLzIwMjEtMDEvMDAyZTc3YWQtN2VhZi00OWU0LWI1N2MtN2FjMjcyZDA0ZjViLmpwZw==.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-content\" data-v-5a136f3a>As the first vaccines against COVID-19 roll out, governments and institutions across the world are scrambling to figure out how to provide proof that someone has been vaccinated. Paper certificates, PDFs, wristbands and mobile <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>s have all been suggested \u2014 and the former director of the Centers for Disease Control, Tom Frieden, and international human rights attorney Aaron Schwid <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/opinions\/2020\/12\/21\/tom-frieden-covid-immunity-passports\/\">urged<\/a> the adoption of digital \u201cimmunity passports\u201d as a way to reopen the world.<\/p>\n<p>In theory, their idea is great. In practice, it\u2019s terrible. Or, as the Daily Beast <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/vaccine-passports-are-big-techs-latest-dystopian-nightmare\">put<\/a> it: \u201cVaccine Passports Are Big Tech\u2019s Latest Dystopian Nightmare.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As a solution to an urgent problem, immunity or vaccine passports sacrifice data privacy and security. There\u2019s a price to pay for being able to prove you\u2019re vaccinated and its permanent access to the rest of your data or compulsory enrollment in a health app. There are all sorts of unintended consequences. While Frieden and Schwid recognize this \u2014 and admit that these risks will deter some people from getting vaccinated \u2014 they don\u2019t seem to have an answer to this problem other than to suggest that \u201ctrustworthy and consistent standards\u201d will, somehow, ride in like the cavalry that saves the day.<\/p>\n<p>This is infuriating \u2014 because there is a way to have proof of vaccination and personal data privacy and security. There\u2019s an entire community devoted to building and advancing this <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a>, which is called decentralized identity. It\u2019s a new consent-based mechanism for using verifiable credentials to prove who you are and things about you without anyone else \u2014 looking at you, Big Tech \u2014 managing, storing or selling your data.<\/p>\n<p>Verifiable digital credentials on a decentralized network can be rapidly scaled to meet the challenge of proving people have received a COVID-19 vaccination and any necessary subsequent doses and providing them with the privacy and security they deserve.<\/p>\n<p>This technology may be new to the public health community and policymakers. But organizations like the United Nations and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development see it as the future, and innovative global enterprises are building that future right now.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Just_how_bad_are_immunity_passports_Very_bad\"><\/span>Just how bad are immunity passports? Very bad<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Digital \u201cpassport\u201d solutions rely on storing your data in a corporate silo. This is the centralized data model that we\u2019ve been stuck with due to the absence of a reliable way to verify identity online. Someone else gives us an identity \u2014 an email account, a shopping account \u2014 and requires us to give them proof of who we are, where we live and so on. <\/p>\n<p>Over time, these third parties \u2014 Amazon, <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook<\/a>, Google, etc. \u2014 have tracked our behavior to better design products and services. Sometimes, they sell that data so others can do the same. We consented but not in a meaningful way. Repeatedly, our data was taken; increasingly, it became clear that even when legally held, it was being used in ways that were exploitative and invasive.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, all but the most elaborate physical documents can be forged. In many areas of the world, paper cards, PDFs and printed emails are being accepted as valid proof of COVID-19 testing. Similar methods are being considered for vaccination proof, requiring just the recipient\u2019s name, the type of vaccination, date, location and provider. How is this likely to turn out? Recently, a group was <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-europe-54839434\">arrested<\/a> for selling fake COVID-19 test results at Paris\u2019 Charles de Gaulle Airport. Unless physical proofs of vaccination have the tamper proof qualities of actual passports, they will be forged.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s also a third problem: An \u201cimmunity passport\u201d is a misnomer. It does not ensure immunity because our understanding of COVID immunity is incomplete. Scientists have found that having contracted and recovered from the disease in the past is not a guarantee of future immunity. For this reason, the World Health Organization has actively <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2020\/09\/16\/who-doesnt-recommend-coronavirus-passports-because-immunity-remains-questionable.html\">discouraged<\/a> the use of \u201cCOVID passports.\u201d Similarly, not all tests for COVID-19 are created or treated equally, leading some institutions to only recognize tests from pre-determined providers and locations. Governments have different mandates for when <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a>ers are tested. A passport needs to be a living document that adapts to <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">science<\/a> and policy.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Verifiable_credentials_solve_these_problems\"><\/span>Verifiable credentials solve these problems<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Verifiable credentials mitigate all these problems. A verifiable credential can be issued by a health provider to prove that you have been tested or vaccinated. The form of that credential is written to a distributed ledger \u2014 but not the content. So, if you are asked for proof of a COVID-19 test, the proof is the form of that credential and the specific cryptographic keys that show it has been issued to you. The content \u2014 all your personal data, including the outcome of the test \u2014 is held by you and you alone. You get to decide if you share that information or not. The form it is bundled in \u2014 the credential \u2014 is the only thing that needs to be verified as coming from an authentic source.<\/p>\n<p>Decentralized identity means that people have control over their own private information instead of being required to relinquish it to some corporate database.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, because the form of the credential and proof of issuance are written to a distributed ledger, verifiable credentials are tamper-proof and cannot be forged. They can also be simply and quickly reissued to adapt to new medical information and government mandates. <\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"We_can_have_our_privacy_and_our_proof_of_vaccination\"><\/span>We can have our privacy and our proof of vaccination<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The COVID-19 pandemic has understandably led to much armchair epidemiology and immunology. It\u2019s also understandable that public health and policymakers aren\u2019t aware of next-generation technology when confronting the practical challenges of global vaccination. And while some may see decentralized identity as the solution, decentralized identity is the most transparent answer showing what it is and what it does. No personal identifying information gets posted anywhere. Sharing is by consent. This is a technology to give people control of their data, and it is designed at a foundational level to be private and secure.<\/p>\n<p class=\"post-content__disclaimer\"><em>The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author\u2019s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.<\/em><\/p>\n<div>\n<div style=\"background: rgb(239, 239, 239); border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 10px;\"><strong>James Schulte<\/strong> is the director of business development at Indicio, a professional services firm focused on advancing the development and adoption of decentralized identity technology. He has previously worked in the airline, manufacturing and tech industries. James graduated from Brigham Young University with a dual degree in global supply chain management and German studies.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><template data-name=\"subscription_form\" data-type=\"law_decoded\"><\/template><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. 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Paper certificates, PDFs, wristbands and mobile apps have all been suggested \u2014 and the former director&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":158838,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/images.cointelegraph.com\/images\/1200_aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy5jb2ludGVsZWdyYXBoLmNvbS91cGxvYWRzLzIwMjEtMDEvMDAyZTc3YWQtN2VhZi00OWU0LWI1N2MtN2FjMjcyZDA0ZjViLmpwZw==.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[15047,74894,74983,1545,72366,5047,4965,74139],"class_list":["post-158837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-privacy","tag-blockchain","tag-decentralization","tag-coronavirus","tag-data","tag-health","tag-technology","tag-world-health-organization"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=158837"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158837\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/158838"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=158837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=158837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=158837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}