In Italy, the green pass cannot be revoked in case of positive Covid-19

In Italy

Although the policy declares it and the decree requires it, currently at a technical level the green pass verification app does not allow to revoke a certification to those who have been infected. With important risks for the community

(photo: Stefano Guidi / Getty Images) By browsing the lines of code of the VerificationC19 app, you can discover that in Italy there is no system to revoke the green pass in the event of a positive result following the vaccination. Which technically would also be correct, since what in Italy is called the green pass is nothing more than the European Covid-19 Green Certificate, a personal certification that certifies that its holder has recovered from Covid, has taken a negative molecular swab or is been subjected to one or two doses of vaccination: a positivity cannot cancel the fact that a person has been vaccinated. However, a system that pauses the validity of the green pass in the event of illness or fraud is obviously necessary, so that a person with a valid certificate cannot walk around when they should instead carry out the quarantine. Although the law provides for it, however, in Italy this is currently not possible.

In the European Union there is no shared database that collects all the health data of European citizens. It is therefore necessary, in order to move between states, to demonstrate through a certificate accompanied by an identity document that you have been cured of the disease or that you have been vaccinated. In most European countries, a solution was thought of that would allow to revoke - or at least temporarily suspend - certifications in cases such as a positive coronavirus, or in the case of counterfeit or stolen certificates. A suspension system, however, does not exist in Italy.

This detail was revealed by the teacher and entrepreneur Matteo Flora, with the collaboration of the lawyer Carlo Piana and the computer engineer and professor of cybersecurity at the Milan Polytechnic Stefano Zanero.

In a video posted on YouTube, Flora explains the problem by highlighting how "although the Italian law says" if you get sick I will revoke your green pass ", this is not technically possible in the infrastructure that exists now".

In fact, although the Dpcm that regulates the use of green passes clearly states that the green certification can be revoked by a public structure, by a general practitioner or by a pediatrician of free choice, in the application code VerificationC19 there is no system to do it.

And it does not exist for a reason admitted by the developers themselves: because it would create a "deny list" containing the names of citizens whose green passes have been suspended, a violation of their privacy. To check if a green pass was in the list, the VerificationC19 application should also operate online - which does not happen now, as the application only works offline - to tap into the suspended database by comparing the scanned pass data and, also in this case, violating the privacy of users.

In Italy, a more convenient system was therefore opted for, which would authorize the green certification once, giving it validity until its expiry date. A convenient choice that, however, was made to the detriment of the implementation of a system that allows the invalidation of certificates and, above all, putting people's health at risk. The decree that regulates the revocation of green passes was drawn up without verifying their practical feasibility by means of an instrument dedicated to the function.

The Ministry of Health should find a system that allows to respect the privacy of citizens and at the same time it allows the temporary revocation of the certifications, at least in the case of a positive result. Otherwise, the result will be similar to burying the dust under the carpet.


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Topics

Coronavirus Italy Health globalData.fldTopic = "Coronavirus, Italy, Health"

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