ID2020 certifies BLOK BioScience Immunity Passport with self-sovereign approach to digital ID

ID2020 has certified the digital ID immunity passport developed by BLOK Bioscience as conforming to its conception of “good ID,” the organization announced. The tool is the first certified by the organization for COVID-19 health status, allowing users to keep a self-sovereign record of all tests, antibodies and vaccination results.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has thrust digital credentials into the global spotlight,” said ID2020 Executive Director Dakota Gruener in a prepared statement. “As we consider digital ID-based solutions for public health applications, getting the technology right is not negotiable. We intentionally set a high bar for certification and are delighted to recognize the BLOK Bioscience Immunity Passport solution for meeting our high standards for privacy protection, user-management, portability, and more.”

Gruener wrote a white paper earlier this year arguing for immunity passports to use biometrics as a privacy-protection mechanism. The concept of immunity passports was heavily criticized by a former member of ID2020’s technical advisory committee Elizabeth Renieris shortly before her resignation from the organization.

The certification is given to technology that complies with 41 Technical Requirements. Not only does the institution provide a road map for developers, but it also gives a “third-party seal of approval” on confirm ethical and technical standards.

“Pandemic management is essentially an entirely new solution domain,” said BLOK Solutions Chief Technology Officer Areiel Wolanow in the announcement. “The precedents we set now will set the standard for how the future unfolds, so we have a duty to get things right. By starting with the principle that individuals should always be the sole owner of their data, it is our hope at BLOK that this a standard that others will find it exceedingly difficult to deviate from.”

There are currently over 30 technology providers who have submitted applications to confirm their technologies align with ID2020’s requirements, though presumably not all applications are for digital health credentials.

Kiva Protocol, Gravity.earth, and ZAKA have also received ID2020 certification for their digital ID solutions.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  BLOK BioScience  |  certification  |  credentials  |  digital identity  |  ID2020  |  mobile app  |  privacy  |  self-sovereign identity  |  standards