Technically Government can use the Patriot Act to request medical info, and the provider would be barred from telling you they sent the information to the government.
I’m not sure how anyone can live in America and not realize that the government having medical information means it will be weaponized against minorities and other non-politically advantaged groups.
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how would knowing who got a covid vaccine be used against minorities?
not sure, but covid vaccinated status doesn’t seem concerning to me.
What if your scale communicated with an app on your phone to track your body fat percentage or BMI over time & your access to certain amenities were limited based on that?
that sounds bad.
Oh - there are very legitimate reasons why people would and should be uncomfortable with their info in the govts hands. The question was whether “I” would be uncomfortable with “my” information. And, not really. I accept that there is a LOT of privilege in that.
People should definitely have control of their information, and if they don’t want the govt to have it, they should have that option.
We’ve been discussing the dangers of the government having private medical history information, but what of the tech firms behind apps such as NY’s Excelsior or IL’s Shield? How much do you trust that they won’t use it against you in some way, or sell it to someone else who will?
My state already has a vaccine registry database. They’re already tracking who have received vaccines in the state.
I admit that I have a poor imagination for this.
But are medical records really the decisive factor for hurting minority groups? For example, the military has treated lgbt folks poorly. But have medical records on soldiers really mattered? I’m not very familiar with the facts on this, but don’t remember reading anything to that effect. That could be naive on my part.
I worry that a vaccinated passport system would create a large new privilege, and the powerful would make sure they shared on that privilege, while minority groups have would not have the power to make sure they were included. In fact I think it probably won’t happen because a large group of white men do not want to be vaccinated, and will therefore make sure a privilege like this is not created. But the government having a record of who is vaccinated and who is not is not what worries me about that.
Like Marcie, my worry is more that private companies already have a lot of this power. And that ,like companies potentially possessing government like powers over their workers but within a private domain, I worry these companies will take similar power over all of us in an unaccountable way. And minority groups would presumably be more at risk.
I am more concerned about the sort of unintended consequences than any weaponized ones.
I’ve been seeing a call for vaccine passports lately and have mixed feelings. We already have enough problems with voter ID laws and citizens having trouble getting ID’s. If this would rely on personal technology we should know a ton of people don’t have smart phones.
I suppose any time you require a population to have ID to have access to something it could be weaponized though.
Everyone should be getting the vaccine, no doubt. My gut has a bad feeling about a vaccine passport though…I duno
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I see it as a convenience, not as a requirement
I have Clearpass, gets me into stadiums quicker, I have TSA precheck get me through airport security quicker. Other people are still getting in, they just need additional proof and wait in longer lines. This is not voter ID which would preclude people from voting
As a convenience that’s fine.
Maybe I have a hang-up about everyday places requiring vaccines at all. Like if you don’t have a vaccine passport they still require proof of vaccination to enter? What if people don’t have access to vaccine booster shots in the future or lose their vaccine receipt? What if people don’t want to get the vaccine (Idiots but I have a soft spot for not wanting the government to control your body)? I also have a hang-up with medical information being needed for everyday activities. I feel like this is new territory and we need to tread carefully and not rush into things.
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not getting the vaccine promotes the spread and mutation of this virus. outside of medical reasons not to, i have no soft spot for that type of selfishness.
I think in general I mean, the government doesn’t have a great track record of telling us what is best for our bodies. My comment is more concerned with the precedent it sets for other things.
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i guess it’s more the obnoxious trump supporters who think that covid is a hoax and condescendingly call the rest of us stupid sheep who listen to the msm that i have a big issue with, not some quiet person who doesn’t trust the government.
I have mixed feelings. I think the vaccine is relatively safe for most, but I can also imagine (the possibility, not the probability) 20 years from now some horrible after effect of the vaccine wiping out a bunch of us and people that held out saying, “I told you so!”
I also know people who can’t do vaccines for legit medical reasons. Allergies, kidney transplant, stuff like that. My friend’s kid with allergies had to jump thru all sorts of hoops just to live in a college dorm. I’d like for people to not have to jump thru hoops like that. If a vaccine passport were designed with appropriate exceptions for those situations, I’d be ok with it. But then is THAT requiring too much info?
I would hope at some point a doctors note would be sufficient to avoid continued testing for such a person, If there is a legit medical reason and all else are vaccinated, heard immunity would be achieved
