It seems like the coronavirus pandemic has been raging for many years, but the truth of the situation is that it has barely even been a year since the virus first started becoming prominent all around the world. While the period of time during which this virus has prevented us from living our normal day to day lives is starting to seem like it will never end, the vaccine is just around the corner and this has led to a rather unique phenomenon in terms of the tech industry and the like.
Now that people are starting to get vaccinated, immunity passport apps have started to come up. These apps claim that they can provide users with the ability to use their newfound immunity to the coronavirus to travel wherever it is that they might need to go. This makes them a rather tantalizing prospect for people that feel trapped in their current situation, but with all of that having been said and now out of the way it is important to note that research has revealed a number of flaws in these apps that might make them less than safe to use on a regular basis.
The major security flaw that researchers have found in these apps have to do with the fact that they have been rushed to completion. App developers wanted to make sure that their apps would be available in time, and this has led to a serious lack of privacy features. The information that these apps are dealing with is extremely sensitive, arguably the most sensitive data that anyone could ever possess since it details the medical history of the people that it pertains to.
What’s more is that the user policies of these apps can often be highly suspect as well. Apps that use contact tracing to figure out where coronavirus outbreaks are originating have been criticized in the past since the data they provided were used by law enforcement agencies and the like. Whatever the truth may be, it’s pretty clear that these apps have a long way to go before people can start thinking of them as being truly trustworthy. It will be difficult to place any significant degree of trust in them until these issues are resolved, and this new breed of apps will have to contend with the requirements that people have when it comes to their privacy.
Read next: Law enforcement agencies are looking for dents to invade user privacy through the loopholes in Android and iOS ecosystems
Now that people are starting to get vaccinated, immunity passport apps have started to come up. These apps claim that they can provide users with the ability to use their newfound immunity to the coronavirus to travel wherever it is that they might need to go. This makes them a rather tantalizing prospect for people that feel trapped in their current situation, but with all of that having been said and now out of the way it is important to note that research has revealed a number of flaws in these apps that might make them less than safe to use on a regular basis.
The major security flaw that researchers have found in these apps have to do with the fact that they have been rushed to completion. App developers wanted to make sure that their apps would be available in time, and this has led to a serious lack of privacy features. The information that these apps are dealing with is extremely sensitive, arguably the most sensitive data that anyone could ever possess since it details the medical history of the people that it pertains to.
What’s more is that the user policies of these apps can often be highly suspect as well. Apps that use contact tracing to figure out where coronavirus outbreaks are originating have been criticized in the past since the data they provided were used by law enforcement agencies and the like. Whatever the truth may be, it’s pretty clear that these apps have a long way to go before people can start thinking of them as being truly trustworthy. It will be difficult to place any significant degree of trust in them until these issues are resolved, and this new breed of apps will have to contend with the requirements that people have when it comes to their privacy.
Read next: Law enforcement agencies are looking for dents to invade user privacy through the loopholes in Android and iOS ecosystems
