When the QR code and vaccine passports were introduced last year, civil liberty and privacy proponents warned about how the technology might be used for other purposes aside from vaccination compliance..In an article titled There's a Lot That Can Go Wrong With Vaccine Passports, Jay Stanley, a senior analyst for the American Civil Liberties Union, said the ‘passport’ could be used for other purposes than proof of vaccination.."Given the difficulty of creating a digital vaccine passport, we could see a rush to impose a COVID credential system built on an architecture that is not good for transparency, privacy, or user control," said Stanley in his article.."That could lock us into a bad standard, as other parties that need to issue credentials piggyback upon it to offer everything from age verification to health records to hunting licenses to shopping accounts, memberships, and website logins.".Imagine having to show or scan your digital credentials to start your vehicle; to fuel your vehicle (or not, if you’ve reached your quota for the month); to lock or unlock your home’s front door; and all kinds of restrictions on using your credit cards — essentially having to show your digital ID to do everything you now take for granted..The government tracks every single scan and knows everything about you and what you’re doing..Sound like something out of Orwell’s 1984, with technology in the hands of a tyrannical regime destroying civil liberties?.In communist China it is not fiction..The Land of Xi has only recently freed some of its citizens from the harshest lockdowns in the world, which included the freezing of bank accounts..Chinese citizens must install a digital ID app on their phones. The app has a green code and a red code, which the communist government controls remotely..The green code means you’re good to go almost anywhere. The red code means ‘stay home.’.Reuters reports a protest was planned by hundreds of bank depositors travelling to Henan province to end a two-month block on accessing close to US$178 million of deposits, which has left individuals unable to access savings..Rights groups warned China could use its COVID surveillance infrastructure to stifle dissent. Without a green code on their smartphone app, citizens lose access to public transport and spaces such as restaurants and malls, as well as the right to travel across the country..And stifle dissent is exactly what the government did..In many regions of China, travellers are required to register their plans online. .Those planning to attend the protest registered their intentions, only to find the government had thwarted their plans by turning their health code apps red, disallowing them freedom of movement..According to Reuters a man with the surname Liu said his health code turned red on the morning of June 12 after he registered the day before to travel to Henan..Liu, who refused to provide his full name for fear of government repercussions, said his child may not be able to go to school if his code does not soon become green.."I can't do anything. I can't go anywhere. You're treated as though you're a criminal. It infringes on my human rights," said Liu. “They’re putting digital handcuffs on us.”."The police had my identity details from the last time I went to protest in April," Wang Qiong told Reuters, adding she has lost access to 2.3 million yuan or about US$341,550..Reuters spoke with other depositors arriving in the city of Zhengzhou by train or car, who said their codes turned red as soon as their phones were scanned in the city..While the Chinese government refused a Reuters’ request for comment as to whether the change in code was intended to block the protesters or for another reason, three depositors told the news agency they knew people who had registered to travel to Henan, who were not connected to the frozen funds, and whose codes did not turn red..Last summer, analysts told Zenger News it’s possible to create digital vaccine records that protect user data and make available only encrypted information about whether the person has been vaccinated..“The best-designed vaccine passports contain only minimum personal information to identify the holder, and only communicate to validate the Public Key Infrastructure-based signature rather than transmit the details of the passport," said Stephen Davidson, senior manager of governance, risk and compliance at DigiCert, a digital security company. .It is reasonable to assume digital ID will become part of our everyday lives in the future, and we must demand those overseeing the development and implementation of it are closely scrutinized..In addition, government access to our devices must be prevented, or we will see the Emergencies Act on steroids.
