Could Australia Use Blockchain for COVID Vaccine Passports?

Tech experts propose that the Australian government could use blockchain technology as the framework for securely storing and sharing vaccine passports.

There are plenty of examples of the medical industry utilising blockchain to safely store and share data, but so far most governments have been resistant to using the relatively new technology in this way.

However, it is not unprecedented. San Marino recently announced it would be using VeChain to issue NFT-based vaccine passports. Could Australia be headed the same way?

The Case for Blockchain

Blockchain could be an excellent choice for storing and distributing vaccine passports. Used together with an app, QR code, or linked to a smart chip in a physical passport, it would be simple to use, incorruptible and easy to standardise, and would require no manual data entry.

VetDB – a tech company that has used blockchain technology to help vets eliminate paperwork, centralise records and improve data accuracy – has already developed a blockchain-based passport for animal vaccines to fight the Hendra virus, alongside a prototype for a Covid-19 vaccine certificate that can be attached to smart chips in ID cards or passports.

Passport to Freedom or a Digitised Prison?

The vaccine passport debate has been raging globally all year, with compelling arguments on both sides. As the world becomes increasingly pandemic-fatigued, some countries are turning to vaccine passports as a potential way to return to normal and begin the long road to economic recovery.

https://twitter.com/DowntownCharles/status/1419741772008198151

However, many argue that freedom of movement is an essential human right and that governments do not have the right to spy on their citizens.

No one should need to be reminded of this, but Australia is a FEDERATION.

We do not require #vaccinepassports to move freely within our own country, nor does the government have the right to stalk citizens every time they shop.

Privacy matters more than 'safety'.

— Alexandra Marshall (@ellymelly) July 28, 2021

Indeed, vaccination passports do seem inherently at odds with the ethos of blockchain and crypto, which is freedom, decentralisation and, for many, privacy. For some, vaccine passports are a significant and symbolic battleground for freedom and liberty.

Vaccine passports are the gateway to a totalitarian, digitalised prison system from which it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to escape. Which is why if we’re ever going to stop this, it has to be now.

UK journalist Neil Clark

Blockchain Here to Stay

Regardless of which path Australia takes in relation to vaccine passports, one thing is certain: blockchain technology, crypto and NFTs are becoming increasingly commonplace in almost every industry, a sure sign of mass adoption.