Do we need vaccine passports?
A history professor and policy analyst debate
A timely new debate from the Intelligence Squared series: Do we need vaccine passports?
This could be the ticket to normalcy: Proof of inoculation against COVID-19 in the form of a digital credential. Or at least that’s how it’s been billed. The so-called “vaccine passport” would not only allow travel abroad but could also serve as an incentive for others to get their shots.
Among President Joe Biden’s recent pandemic-related executive orders was to “assess the feasibility” of creating digital versions of these certificates, residing on smartphones and linked with other vaccination documents.
Vaccines could feasibly be required for other group activities, too, such as concerts or dining out — as a means of controlling the spread. This would raises major concerns about privacy, civil rights and equitable access.
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So, does creating such a system merit braving these pitfalls in the name of stemming a major public health crisis?
John Donvan hosts the debate featuring UCLA history professor Peter Baldwin and ACLU senior policy analyst Jay Stanley.
The motion is: Do we need vaccine passports?
Peter Baldwin argues yes: "We allow all kinds of privacy violations or tracking for incredibly trivial matters. This happens to be a matter that's absolutely fundamentally crucial — the worst crisis in the last century."
Jay Stanley argues no: "When you give away privacy or other liberties for this — for the sake of dealing with an emergency — you need to make sure that you're getting a good bargain out of it. And it's far from clear that that's the case here."
Use the audio player above to listen to the program.