Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 July 2021
3043. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health the details of the consideration given to the security of the Covid tracker app in terms of its suitability to process personal medical data outside its original intended purpose; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40088/21]
View answerI presume the Deputy is referring to the new function within the Covid Tracker App which facilitates the storing of EU Digital Covid Certificates (DCC). As part of the development of this additional and separate function for the app, my Department and the HSE consulted with the Data Protection Commission and the Covid Tracker App Advisory Group, who were supportive of its inclusion.
For citizens who wish to store their DCC in digital form, the app provides a feature whereby citizens can choose to scan the QR code in the DCC and store its contents on their phone so they don’t need to carry a paper copy of the certificates when they travel overseas.
This is primarily a convenience feature and users can choose whether they want to use it or not. With regard to privacy and security, the DCC data is held within the app and not shared and users can delete their certificate from the app at any time. An updated Data Protection Impact Assessment and Data Protection Information Notice are available publicly on the HSE website.
