Normal traveling these days means providing authorities with a health certificate that is duly authenticated by the government or other institutions. The ICC AOKPass app streamlines the process by providing a digital health certificate that is fully verified by health institutions.
The AOKpass is a collaboration of Singapore-based tech startup Perlin, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), SGS, and International SOS, the world’s largest medical and security services firm.
ICC AOKPass is developed to be decentralized meaning users maintain full control over their medical information stored securely and privately only on their device.
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Officially launched in the Philippines, the ICC AOKPass gets the nod of multinational pharmaceutical company Sanofi.
When COVID-19 vaccine becomes available, the ICC AOKPass will come in handy as some governments now require health clearance from traveling visitors.
“The public wants access to a well-developed, trustworthy vaccine, and Sanofi chose to engage in this partnership because this tool answers these concerns,” said Dr. Jean-Antoine Zinsou, country manager, Sanofi Philippines. “The potential of this application is huge for checking the vaccine compliance of all Filipinos even beyond this pandemic.”
Hashing
He added that it is necessary to provide evidence-based information to fight misinformation and disinformation.
After securing a health or medical certificate, users can store digitally on their mobile device and show it whenever necessary. It uses blockchain-as-a-service and employs technologies such as hashing and encryption algorithms to protect user data and maintain system security.
“Our blockchain technology protects the privacy of the user,” said Dr. Chester Drum, co-founder of ICC AOKpass. “Most importantly, it cannot be counterfeited. We want to provide the highest-level technology to everyone working in the Philippines. ICC AOKpass is designed to be strictly controlled by individuals but easily accessible when verification of COVID-19 compliance status is needed.”
ICC AOKpass uses pioneering distributed ledger technology based on the Ethereum permissionless blockchain. The ICC AOKpass platform also employs hashing and encryption algorithms to protect user data and maintain system security. (Hashing is the process of converting a given key to another value.)
QR Code
The app will generate a QR Code associated with a timestamp that verifiers can scan using their own mobile devices. ICC AOKPass’s technology verifies the digital signature on the code to ensure authenticity and displays the results to the verifier.
In terms of cybersecurity, ICC AOKPass said that its “security model is based on two principles: simplicity and minimal possible data storage and handling.” It uses Amazon Web Services’ cloud storage and security solutions.
The ICC AOKpass has launched a pilot by creating a digitally verified and tamper-proof influenza vaccination record for a group of frontline healthcare providers at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Manila. It started on Oct. 5.
Once fully deployed, users can download the ICC AOKpass app to their mobile device and use it to securely store an authenticated digital copy of their COVID-19 compliance status certificate, as provided by their consulting medical professional.