With millions of Americans vaccinated against COVID-19, a national debate now rages over “vaccine passports” (or vaxxports) that privilege those who have taken “the jab.” These proofs of immunization take the form of a smartphone app with a personalized QR code. Those favoring such digital certification say it makes us “safer” as a society and hastens a return to pre-pandemic normalcy. But critics liken it to China’s social scoring system (Social Credit System) aimed at rewarding those who conform and punishing those who don’t. They decry it as government overreach, invasion of privacy, and curtailment of personal freedom. They believe Americans shouldn’t be required to show proof of vaccination or reveal personal information to go about their daily lives. Anti-vaxxport protesters in California’s Orange County – who are on the frontlines in this battle – even had a placard saying "'Show Your Papers' is a Nazi Plan."
The effort is spearheaded by the usual suspects – Microsoft, Oracle, the Commons Project (a Rockefeller Foundation-funded non-profit that is part of the World Economic Forum), and other corporations committed to global vaccination certification.
They claim to follow an “equitable and privacy-preserving approach to verifiable data sharing.” Their project, the Vaccination Credential Initiative – a coalition of more than 300 healthcare and technology groups – is working on the upcoming implementation of a SMART health card that stores vital medical data, including vaccination records. But such record-keeping systems are at risk. In 2019, a University of California test found the healthcare reporting mechanism vulnerable to cyberattacks, data privacy breaches, and even data manipulation that could result in patient injury or death
Residents of Orange County, well informed and politically aware, have been the most vocal and active in the fight against vaccine passports. They have taken on the county authorities, who have been secretive and underhanded with funds for the program. Protesters are opposing the implementation of a de rigueur digital record system for vaccines that are at best described as experimental since they have not yet been approved by the FDA.
The worry is that digital records can be used to track people. Cyberattacks and data glitches could reveal private medical information. Worst of all, vaxxports create a two-tiered society. Those who choose not to be vaccinated – for religious reasons or because the non-FDA approved vaccines are of dubious safety and efficacy – won’t be able to move about freely and lead normal lives
Peggy Hall, a community leader who runs the website The Healthy American, exposes the duplicity of the county’s Board of Supervisors. She says that by not formally mandating vaxxports, the county can affirm adherence to the California civil code (CIV Sec 51), entitling every individual free and equal access to “all services in any business establishment of any kind whatsoever, regardless of their medical condition.” The true fight, she says, is to get the Board of Supervisors to state on record that they will prosecute businesses for discrimination should they demand vaccine passports from customers.
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