European tech companies rush to create Covid immunity passports

‘Health passes’ are sought by governments and companies in spite of privacy and immunity concerns

Digital identity systems are seen as a key tool in enabling individuals to re-integrate into normal life and start-ups are busy building them, reports the Financial Times. The idea is to link a person’s identity to their coronavirus test results, with those immune or clear of the virus able to prove their status via an app. The paper reports that a number of companies are seeking to re-tool existing technologies with established anti-fraud and privacy controls. Campaigners have expressed concerns about the technology, including access to data and the risk to individual rights. A further problem is interoperability. Different issuers could potentially all be using different apps, each of which would need to scan the information, says the paper. The problem could be solved by establishing a common document format. Read more (£)