Beijing QR code freedom pass
© Reuters / Thomas PeterFILE FOTO. En sikkerhedsvagt holder en QR-kode op til en sundhedsapp i Beijing, Kina.
I en tale under G20-topmødet fremmede den kinesiske præsident Xi Jinping ideen om at indføre globalt anerkendte QR-koder for sundhed og sagde, at det ville hjælpe med at genoprette coronavirus-ramt international handel og rejser.

'Mens vi indeholder virussen, er vi nødt til at gendanne den sikre og problemfri drift af globale industri- og forsyningskæder,' sagde Kinas leder til det virtuelle G20-topmøde sent på lørdag, mens han foreslog behovet for at 'reducere told og barrierer' og 'liberalisere' handel med vigtige medicinske forsyninger.

Han opfordrede også til oprettelse af mekanismer, der ville forenkle den 'ordnede strøm' af mennesker i den koronavirus-voldsramte verden. De kunne komme i form af QR-koder, der indeholder folks sundhedsoplysninger, sagde Xi.


"China has proposed a global mechanism on the mutual recognition of health certificates based on nucleic acid test results in the form of internationally accepted QR codes. We hope more countries will join this mechanism."

QR codes of this type are already in active use in China, where internal travel has become largely dependent on them and the corresponding "health apps." Instruments to track people's movement, including mobile applications and QR codes, have been implemented amid the coronavirus pandemic by other nations as well, though no global system has emerged yet.

An attempt to introduce a "global" QR code-based system, supposedly designed to restore global travel, has already been made by the World Economic Forum (WEF). The group has actively promoted the 'CovidPass' application, advertised as a highly-secure "health passport."

Attempts to introduce 'health passports' or otherwise 'supervise' people's ability to move, work, or take part in certain events depending upon their coronavirus status, have come under widespread criticism.

Most recently, former UK Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt suggested the introduction of a "freedom pass" that would remove the requirement to follow regulations for those who test negative for coronavirus. The suggestion was immediately branded an "enslavement pass" on Twitter, while some went as far as accusing Hunt of promoting "fascism."