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On The Vaccine Passport Dilemma
Earlier this month, New York City (where I’m currently based) crossed into uncharted territory in the US’ fight against Covid-19 and its frustratingly determined variants. With Delta cases surging and residents quickly becoming accustomed to loosened restrictions, Mayor Bill De Blasio officially made New York the first US city to require workers and customers show proof of vaccination to enter a plethora of businesses, from indoor dining and gyms to billiards halls and strip clubs.
Digital vaccine passports — apps that can be scanned by businesses to verify an individual’s vaccination status — are a critical component to the city’s plan for verifying the jab status for its nearly 8.4 million residents. Though New York is the first US city to issue such a mandate, others around the country are paying close attention, and many are creating their own state-specific digital passports.
Almost immediately, news of New York’s effort a firestorm of debate over the privacy and societal implications surrounding these still new vaccine passports. Though experts largely agree these apps represent one of the best bets to help safely reopen society, they also, in their present form, risk being hijacked by surveillance-friendly autocrats eager to expand their all-seeing reach.
Before we move on, it may be worth taking a moment to differentiate the (many) vaccine passports being rolled out and how they work. As of now, the U.K., France, Israel, Australia, China, and the European Union all have some form of nationalized-ish vaccine passport that’s already being used in varying degrees to allow vaccinated individuals to travel, eat out, go to bars, and engage in other “normal” activities. The US, notably, has avoided a nationalized vaccine passport, with the Biden administration saying it’s “not their role” to create or mandate one.
At times, the passports differ greatly but generally, most will collect an individual’s name, birthday, the day they received their vaccine, the type of vaccine they received, and potentially other related health data…
