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Writer's pictureCaroline Stephens

Identity in a Digital World – World Economic Forum - Part 4 - Vax Passports

Back to the WEF document. We need to be able to understand what “good” looks like, based on values that respect individual freedoms. With digital interactions accelerating – including the billions of “things” that are being connected to the internet – we urgently need to translate these values into guidance for those implementing digital identity systems the world over. These systems must include programmes in developing countries that aim to bring basic services and inclusion to the most impoverished. Digital technologies aside, an estimated 1.1 billion people globally have no formal identity at all – an issue set for the world to address by 2030 through Sustainable Development Goal

16.9.2 Technology can play a pivotal role in achieving this goal, providing access to healthcare and education, and bringing financial and social inclusion to families and new generations worldwide. There is no time to waste, though we must also remember that a poorly designed digital identity can be worse than no identity at all. We need to safeguard against the possibility of making the lives of the most vulnerable people on the planet even more vulnerable. We need norms, and a shared understanding of what a good digital identity looks like. This paper is offered as a first step in that direction. Digital identities in our daily lives As digital connectivity and the online activities of individuals grow, our digital identities are increasingly embedded in everything we do in our daily lives. Every day, we go through authentication processes that give others confidence in our assertions of who we claim to be, or our right to interact with or use a service. We use account logins or biometrics such as facial recognition or eye or fingerprint scans to access services and carry out digital interactions. We have expanding digital profiles consisting of permanent, unchosen qualities such as place of birth or biometrics and assigned attributes, for instance, our names or government ID numbers. Over time, our interactions create digital trails or histories of our personal data and behaviours online: our financial, tax, purchase, legal, medical and credit histories, among others. Individuals and institutions are increasingly using such historical data, as well as our profiles and data from external sources, to make inferences that may inform judgements or decisions. For example, a vehicle insurer may look at driving and legal records, credit history and age to verify customers’ identities and assess whether they are high or low risk.

Essentially For individuals, they open up (or close off) the digital world.

Implement Vaccine Passports

Nov 17, 2022

The leaders from 20 countries at the recent G20 Summit signed a declaration which states they agree to adopt vaccine passports to “facilitate” all international travel.

The current membership of the G20 accounts for more than 66 percent of the world’s population and includes Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, India, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, and European Union.

The two-day summit concluded in Bali, Indonesia yesterday and consisted of talks between the G20 member countries. Klaus Schwab, World Economic Forum (WEF) Chair, also attended.

The G20 Bali Leaders’ Declaration, signed by leaders from all the countries, included a section (s.23) on “facilitating seamless international travel.” It acknowledged the importance of shared technical standards and verification methods which includes vaccine passports. It also includes the leaders “support continued international dialogue and collaboration on the establishment of trusted global digital health networks that should capitalize and build on the success of the existing standard and digital COVID-19 certificates.”

The declaration states, “We recognize the need for strengthening local and regional health product manufacturing capacities and cooperation as well as sustainable global and regional research and development networks to facilitate better access to VTDs globally, especially in developing countries, and underscore the importance of public-private partnership, and technology transfer and knowledge sharing on voluntary and mutually agreed terms. We support the WHO mRNA Vaccine Technology Transfer hub as well as all as the spokes in all regions of the world with the objective of sharing technology and technical know-how on voluntary and mutually agreed terms. We welcome joint research and joint production of vaccines, including enhanced cooperation among developing countries. We acknowledge the importance of shared technical standards and verification methods, under the framework of the IHR (2005), to facilitate seamless international travel, interoperability, and recognizing digital solutions and non-digital solutions, including proof of vaccinations. We support continued international dialogue and collaboration on the establishment of trusted global digital health networks as part of the efforts to strengthen prevention and response to future pandemics, that should capitalize and build on the success of the existing standards and digital COVID-19 certificates.”

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