Iata has welcomed the creation by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) of a global directory of public keys required for the contactless authentication of health credentials.
The directory – called the Health Master List (HML) – will make a significant contribution to the global recognition and verification (interoperability) of government-issued health credentials. Iata says its implementation will ease the global recognition of health credentials outside of the jurisdiction in which they were issued.
ICAO describes the HML as a new data resource for states and aviation stakeholders to aid in the more efficient and secure authentication of traveller health certificates, including vaccination and test result certificates.
A public key enables third parties to verify that a QR code displayed on a health credential is authentic and valid. The HML is a compilation of public key certificates regularly updated as more health proofs are issued and new public keys are required.
“While the keys for verification are available individually, the creation of a directory will significantly cut complexity, simplify operations and improve trust in the verification process. We encourage all states to submit their public health keys to the HML,” said Willie Walsh, Iata Director General.
The sharing of public keys used to perform this verification does not involve any exchange of or access to personal information.
Through a pilot project associated with the HML, private-sector providers of solutions for governments to verify health credentials will also be able to access these keys. This will help facilitate the broadest coverage of health certificates in their offerings as international travel continues to ramp up. Iata will participate in this pilot programme to support the deployment of the Iata Travel Pass.
The air transport industry’s interest in this type of directory goes beyond the COVID-19 crisis. “COVID-19 Health Certificates must be removed as we progress towards overall travel normalisation and industry recovery. But we must retain and build on the operational experience of verifying certificates globally. That includes securely sharing access to public keys with private-sector solution providers. This will help to drive progress for contactless verification of traveller identities for which similar keys are needed. We cannot underestimate how important this will be for the implementation of One ID which has the potential to dramatically simplify travel,” said Walsh.
One ID uses digital identity management and biometric technologies to streamline travel by eliminating repetitive checks of paper documents. The contactless checking of travel health credentials is advancing the experience needed to operationalise One ID. The challenge is the same: universal recognition of verified digital credentials, irrespective of the jurisdiction in which they were issued or the standard used. The successful sharing of public keys to verify COVID-19 health certificates will demonstrate that similar keys for digital identity documents can also be securely and efficiently collected and shared, including with private-sector solution providers.