Health
LA begins issuing digital vaccine verification which could be used in the future as ‘passport’ to gain access to society
Critics warn it could turn into a ‘data grab’…
- LA will begin offering the digital receipts for vaccination starting this week
- Plan is being carried out in partnership with tech company Healthvana
- It’s initially aimed at ensuring people get the correct second dose of vaccine
- But critics fear a looming system of ‘vaccine passports’ required for travel
- Raises questions about civil rights and people with immunity after infection
From Daily Mail —
Los Angeles is launching a digital iPhone receipt for COVID-19 vaccinations, which could one day become a ‘vaccine passport’ that would be required for such activities as airline travel and live concerts.
The plan being rolled out this week will see Los Angeles County partner with tech firm Healthvana to issue the digital verifications, which can be put in an Apple Wallet or the Android equivalent, Bloomberg reported.
The project is initially aimed at ensuring that people who get the first shot of the approved Pfizer or Moderna vaccines also get the required booster shot, including through follow-up notifications.
But the digital receipt could also be used ‘to prove to airlines, to prove to schools, to prove to whoever needs it,’ that a person has been vaccinated, Healthvana CEO Ramin Bastani told Bloomberg.
But critics fear it marks the emergence of a vaccine surveillance state, where digital ‘passports’ are required for everything from flying on a plane to going to the movies.