Dutch cos trial digital test certificates for events

Dutch companies Fieldlab Events and the Unlock Foundation have conducted the first trial run of an app that could verify an attendee’s Covid-19 test results with their identity, ahead of the government-approved pilot events in January.

Fieldlab, which is organising the ‘Back to Live’ test events, and developers Unlock Foundation have developed the app as an access control solution to prevent fraud and safeguard personal data.

The attendee will be required to store their test results in a personal data safe on their phone, which can only be unlocked by themselves, and upload a form of identification (such as a passport) which will then be paired and validated in real time by the organiser, says to the companies.

“We are pleased with the results of last week’s practical test. This shows that providing access to an event based on a digital test result is possible in a safe, reliable and privacy-friendly manner. We think it is time to engage in a debate about the social and ethical desirability of this solution,” says Pieter Lubberts, project manager at Fieldlab Events.

“Providing access to an event based on a digital test result is possible in a safe, reliable and privacy-friendly manner”

Peter Verkoulen, chairman of the Unlock Foundation, says: “We are pleased with the results of last week’s practical test. This shows that providing access to an event based on a digital test result is possible in a safe, reliable and privacy-friendly manner. We think it is time to engage in a debate about the social and ethical desirability of this solution.”

The ‘Back to Live’ events will include a concert and a dance event at Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam and two open-air festivals at the Lowlands and Defqon Biddinghuizen festival site, all of which will be organised by Mojo and ID&T.

The aim of the pilots is to determine how events with an increased visitor capacity can take place safely and responsibly during the pandemic.

Though the government recently announced a new lockdown, it will have no influence on the Fieldlab pilot events taking place in January.

In the meantime, the results of the practical test will be discussed and evaluated within the Fieldlab Events steering group and with the relevant ministries, and the two companies will continue to prepare for follow-up pilots in January.

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