Millions across the world are eagerly awaiting future travel as COVID-19 vaccinations ramp up and cases trend down. Even though ‘vaxications’ are on the rise, traveling in our current world is not going to be as easy as it once was pre-pandemic.
Additional travel to-do’s will be added to the lists of anyone who wants to travel to America like evidence that they have tested negative for COVID-19 and with the emergence of digital vaccine passports. With over 400 million vaccinated against the virus worldwide, print-outs and photos of vaccination records are easily faked or misplaced. So it’s no wonder that tech companies are jumping to the challenge of providing solutions to make travel once again safer for all.
Among the most eagerly anticipated is the Digital Health Pass from IBM. While some detractors of vaccine passports say they present unprecedented threats to privacy, security and freedom, IBM tells GOBankingRates that the COVID passport was created with “privacy as the starting point.” The Digital Health Pass, which is built on IBM’s blockchain technology, will allow users to show only encrypted verification of their vaccination status without revealing more personal information openly.
As more and more of us get vaccinated while the world awaits herd immunity, individuals will need to determine whether they are okay with handing over sensitive healthcare information to flight attendants and even the government in exchange for some semblance of the way life was pre-COVID.
Edited by Maryssa Gordon, Senior Editor, Price of Business Digital Network
