Source: SITA
– Using blockchain, the mobile application creates a secure travel credential that is accepted by airlines, hotels and partners without sharing private medical information.
SITA, in partnership with Indicio.tech and the Aruba Department of Health, is testing the Aruba Health mobile app, a pilot project that makes it easy for visitors to share a confidential traveler credential, based on their health status, privately and secure directly from your mobile devices. This credential will provide access to participating hospitality points on the island.
Aruba is focused on rebuilding its tourism industry after the COVID-19 pandemic, thus ensuring that the risk of infection for people visiting the island is minimized. The island has been less affected by the pandemic than many other countries in the world and is open to most tourists. To ensure their safety and that of island residents, all tourists must submit a negative PCR test, performed 72 hours before the flight.
By using the Aruba Health app, visitors to the island who offer the necessary health tests to the Aruba government will receive a confidential traveler credential using blockchain technology. This credential can be verified by hotels, restaurants and entertainment venues using a unique QR code on the visitor’s mobile device, without sharing any private data. The digital credential also enables the Aruba government to prevent visitors from leaving their hotel rooms until they receive a negative PCR test result.
Unlike immunity passports, these verifiable digital credentials are part of a technology known as decentralized identity, an evolutionary leap in the protection and security of individual privacy. It allows users to share only reliable verification proving they have the relevant documentation to complete the transaction, without having to share personal information. This credential can be used throughout a trip.
This test is yet another step for SITA to develop a more durable and secure travel credential that will be able to combine all travel documents such as passport, visa and medical information into a single credential that prioritizes traveler privacy. This credential will provide verification that the traveler has the correct documentation, making the border crossing more automated, with checks carried out before departure.
Diana Einterz, President of SITA Americas, said: “Giving travelers the ability to share verifiable medical data with relevant stakeholders throughout their journey will help accelerate the recovery of the industry. Ensuring that borders are opened safely is vital and this test brings us one step closer to a single travel token, giving passengers more control and convenience by securely sharing their information with governments, airports, and airlines via through their mobile devices.”
A recent IATA survey found that 78% of the passengers who participated in the survey would only use a travel credential app if they had full control over their personal data themselves.
Indicio CEO Heather Dahl added: “With the decentralized identity ecosystem we built with SITA for Aruba, we have created a path to a better future. We can reopen economies and restart travel without people having to give up their privacy. In this way, we are not only solving a pandemic problem; we are also solving a privacy and security problem. That’s because this technology was designed from the ground up to respect a person’s right to control their own data and identity. Aruba and SITA have taken the global leadership in identity technology that puts traveler privacy first, and their pioneering efforts are laying the foundation for a fairer world.”
Dangui Oduber, Aruba Minister of Tourism, Public Health and Sports, stated: “The Aruba Health mobile app is critical to balancing the challenges of reopening our island to tourism while managing the risks of COVID-19. By providing a reliable traveler credential, we can be sure that visitors have the correct and necessary documentation to move freely around the island, while facilitating the verification of this, without the need to reveal personal information. This is a significant and revolutionary step towards progress.”