1/9) Since everyone keeps asking me, here’s my TLDR on why blockchain-enabled immunity passports, certificates, or credentials for #COVID19 (ala the CCI covidcreds.com) are such a bad idea from a legal POV (leaving aside the technical & public health concerns for now).
2/9) Immunity passports, certificates, or credentials of any kind have the potential to interfere with fundamental rights of privacy & data protection; freedoms of association, assembly, & movement; the right to work & education; and otherwise limit our freedom & autonomy.
3/9) A measure that would interfere with our fundamental rights must be prescribed by law, necessary, and proportionate to achieve legitimate aims (bit.ly/2xDa6Sc).
4/9) As its proponents know, the risks of using #blockchain for anything related to immunity or personal health data are simply too great to overcome this legal test (legality, necessity, proportionality).
5/9) Taking the narrow example of #dataprotection, proponents will say “but we don’t put the actual certificates on the ledger” or “we don’t put any personal data on the ledger” (on that point, read this bit.ly/2L6xESK).
6/9) Which raises the question of why you need a #blockchain or ledger in the first place (hint: the answer is you don’t).
7/9) Proponents never have a good answer to this question. The best/only answer I’ve gotten is that you “need” it for “key management” (but they actually mean for the issuer of a credential bit.ly/2zgdC5H, never mind that key management for people is unresolved).
8/9) So why propose it? Maybe because its proponents lack adoption and need a use case (the CCI even has a “Go-to-Market Working Group” bit.ly/2L5GbVV)?
9/9) Forthcoming paper will include a legal, technical, and public health POV on why this idea is so dangerous.
