Just as many have warned, the tech industry is busy developing new apps for tracking people and determining their health status in the age of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19). And at least one biometrics firm has already created one known as "ClearPass."
Developed by a company called Clear, this new "health pass" will utilize people's biometrics and health records to generate individual identification profiles supposedly capable of determining whether or not a person is "safe" from Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) infection.
Launched back in May, this health pass is a "free" service that users can download from app stores and load onto their smartphones. Once installed, the system will continuously determine whether or not a user is "unhealthy," in which case he or she would be prohibited from traveling through an airport, going to work, or even attending a church service.
Developed by the same Clear company that you may have seen offering pre-verified security screenings at airports, this new health pass will function much like an access pass that screens people and determines whether or not they are "healthy" enough to participate in society.
"Health pass is a free service on the CLEAR mobile app that connects your verified identity – using CLEAR's established biometric platform – with a live health screening, creating safer entry experiences for all," the Clear website explains.
The so-called ClearPass that Clear already offers at airports provides fast-tracked security checks for a $179, allowing travelers to speed through security while everyone else waits in line to be naked body scanned or groped with a pat-down.
If you "fail" the health pass check, your employer can refuse you entry into the building
Marketing for Clear's health pass is primarily geared towards businesses that are being told they can scan their employees as they arrive at the workplace. If an employee "passes," he or she will be let in to the building. If an employee "fails," he or she will be turned away and told to go home.
This is the future of American life, according to Clear CEO Caryn Seidman-Becker, who told CNBC's Squawk Box that the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) is creating a "shift" in the way security screenings are conducted, much like what happened after 9/11.
"Just like [airport] screening was forever changed post-9/11, in a post-COVID environment, you're going to see screening and public safety significantly changed," Caryn told the news outlet.
"But this time it's beyond airports," she added, listing sports stadiums, restaurants, workplaces, and retail stores as among the various places that may implement this new technology.
Though the Clear company was originally created with travel in mind, Caryn says that "at our core, we're a biometrics secure identity platform."
Just to give you an idea of the Orwellian nature of the health pass, the company revealed that it all begins with downloading the app and submitting one's "identity" using facial recognition software. This is used to "authenticate" a user's identity before taking a Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) "health quiz."
Following these steps, a user is then told to approach a "Clear pod" for screening, where either an encrypted QR code is generated or an image of the user's face is pulled up to run various tests, including temperature checks.
The results are then displayed alongside a "pass" or "fail" status indicating whether or not that user is allowed to proceed either to board a plane, enter a workplace, or go shopping for groceries.
At the current time, the Clear health pass does not allow for actual testing of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19). But Caryn says that she hopes this will one day be possible as the technology continues to "evolve."
More of the latest news about the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) is available at Pandemic.news.
Sources for this article include:
Please contact us for more information.