Effects of the COVID-19 Period on ID Verification and Secure Document Technologies

Translated and adapted from the original by Achim Hildebrandt, former Head of Passports and ID Cards, Federal Ministry of the Interior – Germany.

For an industry to have a sustainable future it must address a need in society and provide a practical solution to a problem. In 2021, the emerging problem for which ID and secure documents have a significant role to play is in providing proof-of-immunity status systems that will increase the mobility of citizens and allow a safe lifting of lockdown measures. There is a debate currently waging between governments, institutions and corporations around the practicalities and morality of so-called ‘immunity passports’. Israel will be the first country to issue a ‘green passport’ to residents who have received the COVID-19 vaccine. The passport will lift some restrictions, including mandatory quarantine following exposure to an infected person, and offer access to cultural events and restaurants, according to Israel's Ministry of Health. For some, there is an ethical question to be answered about whether it is unfair to allow vaccinated people to have additional rights and mobility over un-vaccinated people. But when judged against the strategies to ease lockdown restrictions the question is framed differently, as people who have been vaccinated pose a lower risk to public health than those that are unvaccinated. The discussion will soon reach the top EU leaders in Brussels, where it is recognised that having proof of a negative COVID-19 test result is already allowing travel privileges versus those that cannot demonstrate a negative test result. What is clear is that if the certification of a vaccination is to have real relevance for societal mobility, questions about the reliability and security of the document and the data it contains are inevitably on the agenda. If the vaccination information is important for public health policy then it must be protected. Then the connection between health information and the person must be secured. And it is here that the ID security industry has enough experience and practical, quickly deployable and manageable solutions to be of use. Some of the solutions under consideration will undoubtably be digital, as they can be implemented more quickly than conventional physical solutions. But, in the long run, conventional solutions may be more practical for both the issuing side and the controlling side as additional reading and testing devices are then not absolutely necessary. Control would be possible by visual inspection.

It is also conceivable that should countries issue general vaccination cards, then the sensitive information about the vaccination could be protected by means of high-quality laminating film. There are proven solutions in the ID document area. For example, we are talking about holographic kinematic solutions such as those reliably used in the EU ID document area. The development of these solutions will demand decisions by the time a significant number of vaccinations have been administered. This also applies to whether solutions are left to the market or whether government framework decisions are taken. Will the EU take on the matter (the holiday countries like Greece will signal their interest here) or the UN via ICAO? Or will individual states – in order to be able to quickly shape the benefits for starting up life as normal, move forward with national solutions – such as in the case of Israel. The decision on harmonisation may be left to a later day. But there is little doubt is that society has become more accepting of digital solutions during the period of COVID-19. Cashless payment transactions are increasing significantly. Retail and other traditional businesses are increasingly transacting online. It is unlikely that there will be a reversal here. The cash industry will have to think about that. In the field of ID documents, there could be a larger approach to eDocuments than previously thought, in the form of an eSolution as access to databases. The idea is not new, it is just being adopted on a larger scale (the time is ripe as never before). The EU visa has long been under discussion for such a solution. This means that the topic of using existing database systems and linking them will get a new boost. All in all, the experience of COVID-19 accelerated application of IT and eSolutions has shown what is possible and what is practicable. But the real trend in 2021 will not come from IT and digital experts. Rather, it will reflect that the issues of identity and how it relates to public health have moved firmly into the middle of society, politics and, above all, the thinking and experience of citizens.