How QR and RFID Technology Ensures Covid-19 Safe Events - Ardian Technologies
QR & RFID
Individual profiling has been a norm from a security perspective for decades. What’s changed recently - and more so with the COVID-19 pandemic - is the inclusion of screening health. This is all the more pronounced because of the plethora of city-, state- and country-specific contact tracing apps and vaccine certificates out there. By now it is evident that one size doesn’t fit all, and organizations need to establish efficient processes to screen individuals while ensuring that private and confidential data remains encrypted and reviewed in an anonymized manner.
Millions are uploading and sharing their vaccination data and COVID-19 test results with government and private third-party apps at a frantic pace to prove their ‘safe’ status in order to travel, enter offices, and access venues to attend live events, including concerts and sports. While onboarding data is one dimension of the experience, the other aspect is encryption to secure the received data, analyze based on situation- or customer-specific rules, and eventually decrypting it anonymously at the final stage to approve or reject individuals. A harmonious lateral workflow enabled by the amalgamation of software and hardware is most critical to ensure high success-rate in screening individuals.
Customer Experience is the Key
An ideal screening process needs to be subtle and invisible from an individual viewpoint. For example, financial services enable users to access credit based upon personally identifiable information (PII) and social security number. Behind the scenes the service provider parses this information via its proprietary datasets, business rules, and third-party APIs to undertake background checks and deliver suitable credit options within seconds.
Similar processes could be applied to screening individual health as more people get vaccinated and present their vaccination cards. Once the individual health information is shared for security clearance for events or venues, the vaccine passport provider should also consider access approval measures on-site. These could include and not limited to Quick Response (QR) Codes - a two-dimensional barcode - and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) devices.
QR codes were first rolled-out in Japan, and found more uptake in China in recent years. Consumers scan QR codes via a readable device (most smartphones now have in-built features and third-party apps) to share contact information, transfer funds peer-to-peer, access e-wallets for transit, and verify information hosted on websites. An increasing rate of health institutions and governments now embed a QR code on health documents for third-parties to verify the document accuracy. For example, the South Australian government’s contact tracing app is fundamentally designed for users to scan QR codes to access public transportation modes, public places such as restaurants, malls, etc. thereby enabling the SA Health Department to effectively contact those who may have been exposed to the virus and curb the spread of COVID-19.
Event organizers and venues can also consider deploying RFID devices such as wristbands and tags to individuals as part of their access approval measures. Unlike QR codes which have one-dimensional access approval (yes or no), RFID devices can also monitor actual proximity and location between individuals. Airports are among the most prominent users of RFID technology - practically all baggage tags and boarding passes are RFID-enabled and scanned through various checkpoints. The result is evident - airlines and airports are aware of the bags & individual general location during their travels. Amusement parks such as Disneyworld and numerous cruise companies are also known to use RFID wristbands to enable (or restrict) guest access at various places and load funds to spend on-site.
Future of Events and Venues
With the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approving COVID-19 vaccines, organizations have doubled-down on enforcing vaccine mandates across their workforce and customers. As a consequence, the vaccine passport landscape is up for grabs, and there will be several providers in the race to enable event organizers and venues such as restaurants, arenas, public areas, etc. to seamlessly and efficiently screen individuals.
Moreover, the rise of fake CDC vaccine cards and venues returning to vaccinated-only attendees such as the recently concluded U.S. Open, concerts, movie shoots & TV tapings, etc. organizers are also likely to seek additional layers of security in the form of location awareness and contact tracing proximity. This is where ArdianPass incorporates health and security data into a rapidly deployed identity & access solution for managing vaccine status, contact tracing and health screening ensuring Covid-19 safe events.