Digital credentials showing proof of a person’s Covid-19 test results and vaccination are rapidly being embraced globally as a tool to help jump start travel and tourism. However, it could lead to a confusing patchwork of different, incompatible apps that could create confusion and breed fraud.
States, airlines and tech companies are pressuring the Biden administration to develop a federal standard for vaccine passports, but the White House says the government shouldn’t issue the credentials or store the data.
"It should be private, the data should be secure, the access to it should be free, it should be available digitally and in paper," said White House Covid-19 adviser Andy Slavitt.
While there are obvious ethical issues, the U.S. Travel Association says ‘there is a role for the US government to set standards.’
