Security News > 2021 > May > NHS App gets go-ahead for UK vaccine passport use despite protest from privacy groups

Folks in England can from next week use the NHS App to confer their vaccination status, in the face of warnings that the technology could lead to identifiable medical information being exposed.

The British government has announced that from 17 May, people will be able to demonstrate their COVID-19 vaccination status - a so-called vaccine passport or certificate - using the NHS App, which began its public rollout in January 2019, well before the pandemic.

"You can access the app through mobile devices such as a smartphone or by tablet. Proof of your COVID-19 vaccination status will be shown within the NHS App," the government said this week.

Initially the app will only be able to confirm vaccine status prior to international travel.

A study by campaign group Big Brother Watch concluded that COVID certificates using the NHS App would be "Intrinsically linked to individuals' identities... as NHS records contain a wealth of identifiable, sensitive information including NHS numbers."

That report [PDF] stated: "Using the NHS App for proof of a vaccine comes with a significant further privacy risk due to the wealth of other personal information available within it, from prescriptions to addresses, and these issues are yet to be addressed."

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2021/05/11/nhs_app_vaccine_passport/