China issues vaccine passport

IslamNews – Beijing this week introduced a digital health certificate tracking users’ vaccination and coronavirus test history to allow international travel.

The vaccine passport runs on Tencent’s WeChat messaging app, according to a report by the Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua. The service currently works only for Chinese citizens.

Europe, the U.S. and others have discussed creating their own version of the system in preparation for a likely boom in travel as more people receive vaccinations. President Xi Jinping of China has called for a standardized, global system, but privacy concerns make that outcome unlikely.

In China, health code software that tracks users’ locations and that can link them to hot spots and outbreaks have become commonplace in the coronavirus pandemic. A green code, which indicates a clean history, is required to do an array of activities, including entering a grocery store or taking public transportation.

Source: The New York Times