Green passport: follow-up of Italian Guarantor Privacy to the Government about some critical issues related to it

Title	[[Title::Segnalazione al Parlamento e al Governo sul Disegno di legge di conversione del decreto-legge n. 127 del 2021 (AS 2394), in relazione alla possibilità di consegna, da parte dei lavoratori dei settori pubblico e privato, di copia della certificazione verde, al datore di lavoro, con la conseguente esenzione, dai controlli, per tutta la durata della validità del certificato]]
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Notes	Notes::tutored by Istituto cultura italiana (NGO) and reviewed by Kerri Maki

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In today’s world dominated by the pandemic, vaccination is considered necessary for protection, but not everyone is willing to follow the rules set by governments of various countries. One of the reasons why people may prefer to circumvent such rules is the possibility of adverse effects, and some individuals may have reasonable grounds for this stance.

Every country around the globe is engaged in the fight against Covid-19. At the moment, it is difficult to predict the winner, but governments have been gradually introducing new rules and regulations in order to avoid further spread of the disease. However, do these restrictions work? Are they as effective as they were hoped to be?

One such new rule includes the issuance of a green pass, a type of document that can be issued in paper or digital form certifying that the holder has either received the Covid-19 vaccination, recovered from Covid-19 disease, or taken a swab test (PCR or Rapid Antigen test) with a negative result, conducted no more than 72 or 48 earlier, depending on the case.

The green pass is taken very seriously everywhere, especially in Italy. If we take into consideration the letter of the Privacy Guarantor, he questions whether the green pass could be used to avoid periodic medical checks, which could result in the circumvention of general public health measures. Since there is no verification (no updates or….?) of the certificate’s validity, if the health status of the holder changes, it will not be reflected in the document. Therefore, as maintained by the Italian Guarantor, the data included in the pass cannot be fully trusted and as such a green pass should not be used to provide security for its holder. Furthermore, exemption from periodic checks is simply unfair.

The Italian Guarantor is also concerned about issues pertaining to data protection in relation to the green pass holder’s clinical condition or personal choices regarding vaccination. Considering the fact that the validity of a green pass depends on the basis on which the holder received it (either by receiving a swab test, recovering from Covid-19, or vaccination) and taking into account the expiration date, it can be easily deduced what type of green pass a holder has (and therefore information concerning the individual’s health status), however much one tries not to reveal this information.

Given that every employee should have (is this a legal requirement or not?) a green pass, this certificate will need to shown at the workplace, and thus an employer will have access to it. As mentioned above, the green pass contains a great deal of personal data, and because of the subordinate nature of the relationship of an employee to their employer, the latter would thus be able to obtain previously confidential information about the health of their employees.

From the government’s point of view, it is easy to understand why the green pass is viewed as an assurance of a better future. However, it also can be and is used as mechanism to control people, and the data the government gathers from this document may be used against its citizens. Thus, a true individualist should consider whether they wish to become involved in such a scheme, or whether they would prefer to resist.

Nevertheless, the issue should be considered even more profoundly. Whether we prefer to stay home for the foreseeable future or would rather proceed with life as it was before. This is the issue that should be addressed by each individual, given that the government does not have the right to dictate mandatory use of the vaccine. Nonetheless, what if there is no other choice? What if the spread of Covid-19 becomes uncontrollable? Will people still gather to protest compulsory use of the vaccine or will they bend to the will of the government? Only time will tell…