Abstract
Physicians and scientists hope that health-data will provide new
insights into improving medical care and optimizing healthcare costs.
However, data protection laws in Europe often place limits on the use of
patient data. During the COVID-19 pandemic, both digital immunity
records and data on infections were needed for pandemic management.
Using this example, the research project aims to create a system concept
for vaccination, testing, and recovery proof called P3VT (Privacy
Preserving Pass for Vaccination and Testing), that will make collected
data available to research and policy pandemic management in real time
and anonymized. P3VT was developed consistently considering the goals of
privacy-by-design, data minimisation and transparency of the EU-GDPR.
Expert interviews validated the system from medical, technical and
privacy perspectives. P3VT offers the following advantages compared to
the EU digital COVID certificate: Pseudonymized proof of vaccination,
testing, and recovery, reducing misuse of sensitive personal data
Transparency about the nature, timing, and purpose of the proof
strengthens user trust Use of anonymous data improves pandemic
management, and research P3VT is thus an exemplary solution for the
comprehensive provision of health-data for research purposes in
combination with high level of data protection. Further areas of
application are conceivable.