ICC launches AOKpass Declaration for COVID-19 Health Data Protection

Launched on General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Day – in celebration of the landmark data privacy protection laws in the European Union – the Declaration signals a bold vision for a post-COVID-19 world, working together for recovery, prosperity and the upholding of health data protection as a basic human right.

The Declaration expressly supports placing strict health data privacy at the core of COVID-19 compliance standards and verification systems, vital for recovery efforts. ICC is leading the Declaration as the world’s largest not-for-profit business institution, representing over 45 million businesses and 1.2 billion employees in more than 100 countries. Governments, businesses, chambers of commerce and other organisations around the world are invited to join the Declaration and demonstrate support for protecting health data privacy in a post-COVID-19 world.

“Urgent global action is needed to address the threat posed by COVID-19 to both lives and livelihoods. However, this must not be used as a pretext to infringe individuals’ health data privacy rights. Working with key industry leaders, we will strongly support COVID-19 compliance standards and systems guided by the principles of strict data privacy,” said John W.H. Denton AO, Secretary General of ICC.

In addition to being a symbolic statement, the Declaration is a practical measure to incorporate core concepts of privacy protection into the real-world technology being developed to meet the challenges of COVID-19. The ICC AOKpass system, endorsed under the Declaration, will provide an international technical standard for COVID-19 compliance with strict inbuilt health data protection (also known as “privacy-by-design” under the GDPR).

“COVID-19 presents an unprecedented challenge in the overlap of health data and access to economic, consumer and mobility opportunities. The ethical use and protection of personal data must remain fundamental to future solutions, regardless of what data is ultimately needed,” said Dr Chester Drum MD PHD, Co-founder of AOKpass.

The Adecco Group is the first major corporate signatory to the Declaration, the world’s leading human resource solutions firm with over 35,000 staff and 6,500 offices in 60 countries. The Adecco Group is exploring how ICC AOKpass can be used to support both the safety and privacy of its employees and more than 600,000 associates a day that it connects with businesses worldwide.

IRU has also joined as the first global organisation. As the world’s road transport organisation, IRU is the trusted voice of more than 3.5 million companies operating mobility and logistics across over 80 countries. As a pilot, IRU hopes to use the privacy-preserving ICC AOKpass to help overcome costly delays and difficult working conditions faced by drivers held in quarantine at border crossings for up to several weeks at a time.

Signatories to the Declaration demonstrate public support for COVID-19 compliance standards and verification systems that are:

• Consistently guided by the principles of strict health information protection and privacy-by-design, allowing individuals to retain full control and autonomy over their sensitive personal data at all times.
• Directed at supporting ongoing and coordinated recovery efforts for a safer and more efficient return to commercial activity and public community life.
• Recognised and accepted across all jurisdictions and industries, applying a decentralised and standardised health information model in order to facilitate the widest possible adoption globally.

Show your support and add your organisation to the Declaration.

For more information on ICC AOKpass, see www.AOKpass.com.