The Britain'southward Open Academy has developed a COVID-19 proof-of-immunity app that combines blockchain with a privacy-preserving data solution from web inventor Tim Berners-Lee.

The epitome app, undergoing testing as of April 29, would support the proof and verification of tamper-resistant test results for COVID-19 antigen tests and vaccination coverage.

The solution could ostensibly be used to provide frontline workers, healthcare professionals and the wider public with reliable immunity certificates that would be stored on a distributed, immutable and trusted blockchain-based registry.

Aslope consortium blockchain engineering, the app uses solid "pods" — an acronym for the personal online data stores developed past world wide web inventor Tim Berner-Lee'southward web decentralization projection Solid.

Each user would be asked to provide proof-of-identity before antigen testing, which would and so exist hashed and recorded to the blockchain registry. One time exam results have come up in, they would exist issued as a digitized immunity certificate to a solid pod on the user'southward phone.

A verifier would then be able to check the authenticity of any certificate by using their own mobile device to transport a hashed version of the certificate to the public registry to seek a lucifer.

Past combining blockchain, distributed server architecture and solid pod technology, Open University claims the public volition have a high level of control over the storage and presentation of their healthcare data. Professor John Domingue, manager of the Knowledge Media Plant, said:

"Our app, building on several years of research into decentralised certification, is readily scalable, applicable generically, and waiting in the wings for immunity testing to be in full effect."

Blockchain during the COVID-19 era

Earlier this month, the European Commission and Academy College London partnered with the International Association for Trusted Blockchain Applications to grade a defended COVID-19 Task strength. Amidst other projects, the initiative will pursue enterprise blockchain solutions that could assistance tackle governmental, social and commercial challenges posed by the global pandemic.

A myriad of blockchain solutions — including the Covi-ID platform, an immunity passports solution from Chiliz, and a GDPR-compliant data tool from Ubirch and Centogene — accept already been proposed to assistance fight the wellness crisis while preserving user privacy.