{"id":89129,"date":"2020-10-14T19:31:43","date_gmt":"2020-10-14T16:31:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/blockchain-health-apps-privatize-covid-19-data-but-security-is-a-concern\/"},"modified":"2020-10-14T19:31:43","modified_gmt":"2020-10-14T16:31:43","slug":"blockchain-health-apps-privatize-covid-19-data-but-security-is-a-concern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/blockchain-health-apps-privatize-covid-19-data-but-security-is-a-concern\/","title":{"rendered":"# Blockchain health apps privatize COVID-19 data but security is a concern"},"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-6a289f1120847\" 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-6a289f1120847\" 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\/blockchain-health-apps-privatize-covid-19-data-but-security-is-a-concern\/#Blockchain_ensures_privacy\" >Blockchain ensures privacy<\/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\/blockchain-health-apps-privatize-covid-19-data-but-security-is-a-concern\/#Privacy_concerns_remain\" >Privacy concerns remain<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong># Blockchain health <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 privatize COVID-19 data but security is a concern  <\/strong>&#8221;<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.cointelegraph.com\/images\/840_aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy5ldS1jZW50cmFsLTEuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9zMy5jb2ludGVsZWdyYXBoLmNvbS91cGxvYWRzLzIwMjAtMTAvMGU3YWQ0OTAtMDNhMi00OWRiLWIwZTktOTkxZDA2YmYwZjg0LmpwZw==.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<div data-v-5a136f3a=\"\">New procedures are being implemented as the world slowly begins to reopen amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. While temperature checks and mandatory face masks have become the new normal, the world is also witnessing the rise of digital health apps, or \u201chealth passports.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Many of these applications serve as a solution to trace individuals\u2019 whereabouts or to store COVID-19 test results, which can then be presented to officials during <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a> or gatherings to show proof-of-health. While innovative, privacy and regulatory <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/5898559\/covid-19-contact-tracing-apps-privacy\/\">concerns<\/a> have been expressed with digital solutions designed to trace contact or store user data via smartphones.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Blockchain_ensures_privacy\"><\/span>Blockchain ensures privacy<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In order to solve this problem, IBM Watson Health \u2014 a data, analytics and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> partner for the health industry \u2014 has launched a privacy-based application that will enable individuals to safely travel or return to physical locations upon showing COVID-19 test results and temperature scans. Known as the \u201cIBM Digital Health Pass,\u201d this platform leverages IBM blockchain technology to ensure user data remains private when shared with organizations that require a verified health pass. <\/p>\n<p>Eric Piscini, vice president of blockchain for IBM Watson Health, told Cointelegraph that the Digital Health Pass platform specifically uses blockchain to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sovrin.org\/faq\/what-is-self-sovereign-identity\/#:~:text=Self%2Dsovereign%20identity%20(SSI)%20brings%20the%20same%20freedoms%20and,access%20to%20those%20credentials%E2%80%93%20digitally.\">establish<\/a> self-sovereign identity, along with verifiable credentials:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cPrivacy is extremely important here, which is the reason we use blockchain to verify credentials and allow individuals to control their identity without the intervention of administrative authorities. Individuals with credentials like COVID-19 test results can present these to verifiers, such as airlines, without exposing their medical information.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>According to Piscini, three layers are built into the Digital Health Pass platform. The first layer is made up of the issuers of credentials, which include testing labs and hospitals. The second layer is the platform itself, which serves as the ruling engine. Finally, there are verifiers on the platform, like airlines, that are interested in knowing if individuals are safe to engage with. \u201cMost of these players run a node on the IBM blockchain network, which uses sophisticated cryptographic techniques so that data exchange can be verifiable and trusted,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n<p>Piscini further mentioned that medical data isn\u2019t stored on the platform, comparing the Digital Health Pass to a credit score. In this case, the blockchain ledger captures an individual\u2019s health score, but organizations, or the verifiers, have no visibility into the user\u2019s personal data. Verifiers only see a \u201cgreen light\u201d once a QR-code is scanned on a smartphone to show if an individual is healthy. The verifiers then decide whether or not to engage with individuals based on their own policies.<\/p>\n<p>Although the Digital Health Pass solution is still being piloted, Piscini noted that a number of companies have expressed interest in leveraging the application once it becomes publicly available.<\/p>\n<p>Similar to IBM\u2019s Digital Health Pass, distributed ledger technology platform Hedera Hashgraph has struck an agreement with Safe Health Systems, a partner of Mayo Clinic, to build a digital health ID system. Known as \u201cHealthCheck,\u201d a COVID-19 testing and health status solution built on the SAFE digital health platform. <\/p>\n<p>Ken Mayer, the CEO of Safe Health Systems, mentioned during a recent Hedera Hashgraph <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=J0rqogp-TzA\">webinar<\/a> that Digital health IDs are created for individuals. Sensitive data is kept private, as this is stored and verified on the Hedera Consensus Service. Mayer said that many enterprises are signed up to use the HealthCheck app, including Delta Airlines and several universities:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cWe have partnered with the largest buying co-op for U.S. universities that have about 5,000 members. We also just partnered with the largest employee benefits marketplace who is starting to push this out, starting with employers and schools. Basically, the solution is a white-label mobile app.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Privacy_concerns_remain\"><\/span>Privacy concerns remain<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>While both Digital Health Pass and the HealthCheck app leverage blockchain and distributed ledger technology to secure and privatize user data, concerns remain. Jonathan Levi, CEO of enterprise blockchain solution HACERA and co-founder of MiPasa \u2014 a blockchain-based platform that standardizes, normalizes and authenticates data sets for open-source use \u2014 told Cointelegraph that it\u2019s critical for users of these applications to understand their entire data workflow:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cFrom somebody taking a screenshot or a scan of their medical results to using a proprietary mobile application, it\u2019s important for users to know what\u2019s being stored on a blockchain, who runs the nodes, how users and nodes interact with the ledger, including who has access to the logs.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Even though Digital Health Pass and HealthCheck are regulatory compliant, Levi explained that understanding the data flow is important to ensure that an individual\u2019s data is never compromised. \u201cWe all remember the concerns raised by the U.K. NHS contracts that allowed unprecedented transfer of health data on millions of U.K. citizens to private tech companies,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>During the Hedera Hashgraph webinar, Mayer did mention that HealthCheck has data integrations and partnerships with Quest, LabCorp and Mayo Clinics Labs, along with several other smaller medical labs that automate the process of returning results quickly for users. Understanding what those labs will eventually do with that data is critical. <\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Related:\u00a0IBM executive says blockchain becoming a useful \u2018real business tool\u2019<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Levi further explained that MiPasa \u2014 which was deployed on the IBM blockchain platform to collect and validate COVID-19 data for the World Health Organization \u2014 is similar to IBM\u2019s Digital Health Pass in that both platforms are consent-based. The main difference according to Levi, though, is that the Digital Health Pass platform records the consent of users who are logged into the mobile application and then scans their medical test results to show proof-of-health.<\/p>\n<p>MiPasa, however, simply seeks to provide an employer and an employee (or a user and a verifier) with data and analytics tools, allowing both sides to decide the best course of action.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/general\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">General category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/news\/blockchain-health-apps-privatize-covid-19-data-but-security-is-a-concern\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;# Blockchain health apps privatize COVID-19 data but security is a concern &#8221; New procedures are being implemented as the world slowly begins to reopen amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. While temperature checks and mandatory face masks have become the new normal, the world is also witnessing the rise of digital health apps, or \u201chealth&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":89130,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com\/s3.cointelegraph.com\/uploads\/2020-10\/0e7ad490-03a2-49db-b0e9-991d06bf0f84.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[74894,75570,1545,5047],"class_list":["post-89129","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-blockchain","tag-ibm","tag-coronavirus","tag-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89129","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=89129"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89129\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/89130"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89129"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89129"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89129"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}