Chinese Health Code System
Health Code (Chinese name: 健康码) is an application used during COVID-19 in mainland China. It is used as an e-passport that reports the real-time health condition.
The applicant provides information such as travel history, residence, and medical records. The application will then generate a QR code that identifies the individual's risk level as red, yellow, or green. Health code has been applied in more than 300 cities in China, covering at least 900 million users.
As the covid-19 pandemic rages, technologists everywhere have been rushing to build apps, services, and systems for contact tracing: identifying and notifying all those who come in contact with a carrier. Some are lightweight and temporary, while China's health code systems are pervasive and invasive.
In China, the government relies on Health Code, developed by Alipay and WeChat, for identifying people potentially exposed to COVID-19.
The color-based code can determine people’s exposure risks and freedom of movement based on factors like travel history, duration of time spent in risky areas, and relationships to potential carriers.
