Testing Excelsior Pass in New York

So how to use it?

In anticipation of attending my first theater show, at Union Hall in Brooklyn, I signed up for Excelsior Pass. Spoiler: It didn’t work well.

Downloading the app to my iPhone was easy enough. But like most users, they received me with the wrong message when I tried to subscribe to this page. Many people they sit can’t use of a license because it will not guarantee their vaccination. This method works with the introduction of state vaccines, but errors on the pages can cause problems, especially if there were errors in replacement vaccines. An invalid name or wrong date of birth could mean that Excelsior’s system will not be able to record your history. So when the certificate did not confirm who I was, I followed the instructions on the wrong page and dug up my immunization card to make sure I was properly logging in. After three attempts, the same way I sent the same time each time, it worked.

Use a little

Although I found a job to go to, it was just a game, a gym, and some rest area which meant that the pool of users was limited. For employees in New York who have lost their low-paying jobs and are still working despite having high debts, attending a luxury concert or basketball game is a good idea outside yes until.

This raises the risk that if you use things wisely. The government has spent $ 2.5 million so far, and under the agreement signed with IBM, which created the platform, it will end price anywhere from $ 10 to $ 17 million over the next three years where driver’s license information, age proof, and more can be included.

“The passport system is like a continuation of all the government and Governor Cuomo’s policies on the epidemic,” said Sumathy Kumar, campaigner for Housing Justice for All, a global coalition of sleep protection organizations. “They just want life to go back to normal for people with a lot of money.”

And if the document is widely used – whether it is necessary to enter the workplace or in important stores, for example – this raises questions about privacy.

Experts doubt safety

Users must enter their name, date of birth, zip code, and phone number to confirm whether they have a vaccine or covid-19 test results. New York State page tells users that Excelsior data is secure, right Privacy Policy states that it does not store information posted through the app, or use location services to track where people are. Products confirms users that their data is kept confidential as well security to use blockchain and hidden technologies.

But experts say the secret is inadequate. Albert Cahn, director of the agency Quit Professional Management Work (STOP), which opposes local and state controls in New York, states that businesses use a special program to verify a license; after testing it, he found that where the user might have been able to track the machine. As a result, the funny places I go to can have a log of my travels there – and any places I go to later that need proof of vaccination. No New York State or IBM has responded to a request to comment on whether it can be retained or tracked.

Failure to disclose is a problem, says Cahn. “I have a little more knowledge about how Excelsior Pass data is used than a weather program on my phone,” he says. Because a passport is not an open item, its confidential information cannot be easily tested by others or experts.

But nothing encourages the publicity. Using Excelsior, IBM made use of the existing ones Digital Health Pass, machines that can sell in customized colors to customers from state-owned to private companies who want to open their own offices.

“If IBM’s medical knowledge helps, it can make a lot of money,” says Cahn. “Doing things openly can ruin their entire business.”

Privacy and security inquiries are expedited if the license is being used extensively. The badge aims to build trust, to allow people to feel comfortable in public, yet for many it creates fear of how to use it against them.

They are at risk of being monitored

Many groups have real, specific concerns about the results and monitoring of the government. History shows that the use of these technologies, even if they are only a few in the first place, is beginning to spread, which is especially damaging to black and brown areas. For example, anti-terrorism laws passed just weeks after the 9/11 threats escalated the crackdown, detention, and deportation of undocumented Muslim and South Asian immigrants.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a human rights organization, is based on opposition vaccine passports. “These programs are a real waste of time and money,” said Alexis Hancock, director of engineering at EFF. “Governments need to focus on what they have and give them a chance to get people to a better place after the epidemic, without putting people at the forefront of concern and privacy concerns.”