QR code can help beat virus
▶ App needs focus on data protection, trust
One of China's distinct solutions to combat COVID- 19 pandemic is setting up an international mechanism consisting of a QR health code as proposed by China's top leader over the weekend.
Observers said the QR code might get a trial first in China's neighbors that will have “green lanes” for travel with China, and the lynchpin of the proposal is to iron out political mistrust and dissipate concerns over user privacy and data security.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday called for the establishment of an international mechanism involving health code mutual recognition, and he welcomed participation by more countries, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
The mechanism should be based on nucleic acid test results and use universally recognized QR codes, the top Chinese leader said at the 15th G20 Leaders' Summit via video link.
“At present, the establishment of an international mechanism of health code mutual recognition is in the early stage, and the next step will focus on the mutual recognition of the mechanism among different countries, information protection and data applications,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Tuesday, adding the country will communicate with relevant parties on the issue.
In China, health code services are enabled via two ubiquitous platforms. Ant Group's Alipay and Tencent's WeChat – with mini- programs within the platforms requesting subscribers to fill in personal information such as ID numbers, mobile phone numbers and home addresses for a colored QR code to be generated.
Like traffic lights, the green code is an indication of safety while a yellow or red code would mean mandatory quarantine, because the individual may have been around someone who has been confirmed as a COVID- 19 case.
People in China need to show a green code before entering supermarkets, hotels, parks and restaurants.
The nationwide digital health code system is composed of different health codes across provinces and cities, meaning that users need to access local health codes to verify their health condition.
Tencent said it still has no plan for health code mutual recognition when contacted by the Global Times on Tuesday. Ant Group couldn't be immediately reached for comment.
Countries including Australia, Japan and Singapore have all used tracking apps to trace peoples' movements and potential exposure to COVID- 19, but there is no mutual recognition mechanism for the apps.
There are no technical barriers to the creation of a mutually recognized health code mechanism, experts said.
A mutual recognition mechanism is plausible in technical terms. It would require the interfaces of personal health code systems – so long as they are up and running in other countries and regions – to be connected to that of the system prevailing in China, Cheng Maiyue, director of the Wuzhen Institute, an internet industry think tank, told the Global Times on Tuesday.