Vaccine passports and data privacy
The Story
The Times
3.9 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 14 April 2021
⏱️ 31 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Last week it was announced by the government that so-called vaccine passports could be rolled out across the country to help ease lockdown measures. But should we be worried about what this might lead to?
This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.
Guest: Tom Knowles, Technology correspondent at The Times.
Host: Manveen Rana.
Clips used: Times Radio, Channel 4, BBC and Parliament TV.
This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | For weeks now, the prospect of a vaccine passport system has haunted the headlines. |
| 0:08.8 | Last week, the government confirmed that it's going to push ahead with trials of vaccine |
| 0:12.8 | passports at big sporting events over the next few months. |
| 0:16.9 | Boris Johnson will give details of plans to trial COVID certificates at major sporting |
| 0:22.3 | and music events, so-called COVID passports, etc. to be identified as key to reopening |
| 0:27.6 | the rest of the economy. |
| 0:29.0 | As things begin to open up across the country, they could be used to allow a century to theaters |
| 0:34.8 | and concerts. |
| 0:36.0 | However, the idea hasn't pleased everyone. |
| 0:39.8 | Now we discover that a vaccination may be a passport to the acquisition of your civil |
| 0:48.7 | liberties. |
| 0:49.7 | They're using the word passports, they're not, they're ID cards. |
| 0:52.7 | We've got concerns around civil liberties and the slippery slope to an ID society. |
| 0:57.0 | A bouncer at a pub could stop you going in just because you didn't have your papers |
| 1:01.6 | or your app with you. |
| 1:04.5 | More than 40 conservative MPs have joined a cross-party coalition to oppose the government's |
| 1:11.1 | plans, and an online petition has gathered almost 350,000 signatures, suggesting the fears |
| 1:18.2 | over COVID passports extend to the public too. |
| 1:22.4 | They're going to focus on one of the reasons why some people are worried about the scheme. |
| 1:28.1 | You're listening to stories of our times from the Times and the Sunday Times. |
| 1:32.0 | I'm Manvian Rana, today, vaccine passports and data privacy. |
| 1:39.4 | I'm the Times's tech correspondent. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Times, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of The Times and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.