Covi-ID

Covi-ID is a uniquely African Solution that gives everyone the ability to prove their COVID-19 status, reliable, secure, and without loss of privacy. We combine self-sovereign identity and the latest blockchain technology with extensive use of QR codes so that anyone can use Covi-ID. In addition, Covi-ID will implement a simple track and trace system even for users who don’t have phones. But instead of collecting everybody’s data centrally, we communicate possible infection hotspots to the user’s wallets once a day so that our app then checks whether there is any overlap with the locally stored geo-location history. Our goal is to provide an open-sourced, free, and privacy-preserving platform because we believe that this is the most efficient way of achieving positive public health effects and enhance our public health infrastructure. Consequently, Covi-ID will be offered free of charge to anyone.

We are currently in a national lockdown in South Africa and many countries around the world have restrictions in place that limit the freedom of movement of their citizens. These restrictions are unnecessary for anyone who has developed immunity or who has been vaccinated (once a vaccine is available).Similarly, patients who have recently been tested and confirmed negative, pose less of a risk than those who have not been tested. To get our economy going again we need to enable all those who pose no public health risk to move about freely.The exact economic impact of the lockdown is difficult to quantify. But without a doubt it will be devastating for South Africa and a prolonged recession is ahead of us. Covi-ID aims to fight the spread of Covid-19 while allowing movement in our economy to protect our most vulnerable groups.We offer a free and open-source version of Covi-ID, but we envisage that the custodial wallets will be a white-label solution for our corporate partners.Through self-sovereign identity , we ensure interoperability and common data standards, this incentivises competition between interface- and wallet providers.In addition to COVID-19 status, we can provide for health verification for other diseases, allergies and medical history.

Covi-ID is a uniquely African Solution that gives everyone the ability to prove their COVID-19 status, reliable, secure, and without loss of privacy. We combine self-sovereign identity and the latest blockchain technology with extensive use of QR codes so that anyone can use Covi-ID. Covi-ID will implement a simple track and trace system even for users who don’t have phones. But instead of collecting everybody’s data centrally, we communicate possible infection hotspots to the user’s wallets once a day so that our app then checks whether there is any overlap with the locally stored geo-location history. 

We can therefore achieve the same track and trace functionality as centralized solutions simply by flipping the direction in which data flows. We are building Covi-ID to provide a critical functionality that currently is only provided by companies who invade user’s privacy. Our goal is to provide an open, free, and privacy-preserving platform because we believe that this is the most efficient way of achieving positive public health effects. 

Covi-ID will be offered free of charge to everyone, we will publish our standards to enable other SSI providers to integrate their solutions with our platform and innovate on this new and open system.

By using custodial wallets, we cater to a population where not everybody has a phone. The reality in South Africa is that many people have access to a phone, but do not necessarily own one themselves. This is particularly true in informal settlements, which is one of our most vulnerable communities. We aim to extend this product throughout Africa.

Making "low-tech" solutions available to these communities is especially important because they suffer the most when economies close. These are the people that work hand-to-mouth daily and cannot afford to stop working. This part of South Africa's population also lives in highly dense areas with many suffering from underlying medical dispositions. With Covi-ID's SSI technology, people can continue to work safely.

By using QR codes and status verification at various check-points, we create simple track and trace functionality even for users without phone: Whenever a user proves her status using the QR code, a token with the current geo-location and timestamp is sent to her wallet. This leaves a trail on her phone which can be used when there is a confirmed COVID-19 case to warn users who possibly have been in contact to self-isolate and get tested.

For many countries, especially emerging markets, this is not just an inconvenience - this is an existential crisis. Families are suffering because the sole breadwinner cannot earn a living, people living townships are in confined areas. This leads to trauma. We are developing a solution that re-ignites economic momentum while preserving our public health. The central question to dealing with this pandemic is how we can use technology that allows us to gradually reinstall our freedom of movement. The Chinese answer is a centralised system where the government surveils everyone and connects it with a social scoring system - which we already have. This is a simple construct but violates the privacy of citizens and disregards privacy-preserving and more innovative solutions. How can we get people to work safely and how can we do it in a way that spurs innovation in Africa?

Covi-ID is privacy-preserving, free, open-source immunity pass. This pass is available for everybody, which means that even individuals without a smartphone are able to register an account with corporate partners that act as custodians (these custodians can be any government, private entity, universities and so forth). With either an SSI or custodian wallet, individuals are fully in control of their data. Once a Covi-ID account is registered, a QR code is issued that acts as a status verification pass. This enables restaurants, grocery stores and the like to verify the Covid-19 status of their customers and protect themselves as well as their community from possible infections. 

The Covi-ID platform uses the did:sov (Sovrin Network) and did:flex (Algorand) DID methods. Going forward, other DID methods will be supported in order to broaden the access and choice with regard to the application architecture. Hyperledger Aries, Indy and Ursa will be used for the Sovrin Network integration while the Algorand integration will be achieved through the Microsoft ION developed Sidetree protocol implementation.

The first integration will be with the did:sov method connecting to the Sovrin Network. Once the did:flex method and implementation is ready for use it will be the next DID method to be integrated into the Covi-ID ecosystem.

Public Utilities for Decentralised Identifiers:

Decentralised identifiers (DIDs)  provide a new way to establish globally unique identifiers and are at the root of the ToIP stack. Each issuer, verifier and identity holder will have a base DID that are defined according to the various approved DID methods, each with its own specification and related public utility on which it functions. Examples of DID methods include did:sov and did:ethr representing the Sovrin Network and Ethereum methods respectively.

Public utilities such as the Sovrin, Ethereum, Bitcoin, and Algorand networks, amongst others, can be utilised to establish the root of trust with a Decentralised Public Key Infrastructure (DPKI) which is provided by the blockchain. DIDs can also operate on complete peer to peer implementations whereby no public utility is required in order for trust to be established.

Covi-ID combines self-sovereign identity with the latest blockchain technology that allows for a secure decentralised data store. With extensive usage of QR codes and custodial wallets from corporate partners, everyone, with or without a smartphone, is able to acquire a Covi-ID and verify their Covid-19 status.Blockchain - as a distributed ledger that circumvents cyber-security risks - in conjunction with cryptographic technology allows Covi-ID to fully preserve the privacy and sensitive health data of its users. Although our system in its form is new to the medical sector, the application relies on technology that has proven to be reliable and safe. Blockchain in its practical application has been adopted by various industries such as banking, the energy sector, and the health sector. Medical record that is written into blockchain ensures patients that their data cannot be changed/manipulated by a third party. Therefore, the use of blockchain technology and the application of self-sovereign identity allows for the cryptographically secure storage of data that is fully controlled by the user. Covi-ID does not only include verified technology but also represents innovation in the realm of property rights within in the health sector. As patients have full control over their health data and we ensure interoperability and common data standards, competition between interface and wallet providers is incentivised. We are aware of the lack of broad-based Covid-19 testing, but the simple red-yellow-green immunity differentiation incentivises governments of developing countries to scale up testing to reinstate citizen's freedom of movement and allow for economic activity.

The problem that Covi-ID is addressing is firstly containing the spread of Covid-19 in South Africa to reinstall the freedom of movement of its citizens and allow for economic activity. As such, in the short-run, Covi-ID aims to provide a tool for status verification that enables users and communities to protect themselves from the virus. Unlike other approaches that rely on central data storage, Covi-ID wants users to have the confidence that their data is safe and secured. Therefore, the goal for the short run is to initiate economic momentum without jeopardising the initial efforts of the country to contain the spread of Covid-19. The short term outcomes should thus ideally include broad-based status verification within South Africa, a slowdown of Covid-19 infections and efforts to restart the economy. 

The vision of Covi-ID, however, exceeds beyond the time-span of the Covid-19 pandemic that revealed the structural weaknesses in the South African healthcare system. In reality, South Africa battles with other highly contagious diseases such as tuberculosis, viral hepatitis and typhoid fever (just to name a few) that are very common amongst the most vulnerable groups. In the medium term, Covi-ID aims to fundamentally change the medical infrastructure in South Africa by creating more efficient channels for the analysis of medical data. The creation of property rights (with regards to medical data) through Covi-ID will ideally incentives further innovation within in the health sector that is inclusive for all South Africans and Africans generally. 

We believe further, that Covi-ID as a unique African solution, can be adopted by more developed countries. The idea of full ownership of health data that is fully secured should be consolidated during the time of the fourth industrial revolution. Furthermore, it is undeniable that we will face an outbreak such as the Covid-19 pandemic in the foreseeable future. We should learn from our previous mistakes of limited investment and scarce innovation in the medical sector. Now is the time to encourage structural transformation of our health care system that acknowledges our current vulnerabilities and prepares us for the challenges that are coming.

The team behind Covi-ID has gotten together four weeks ago at the time of writing (18th April, 2020) and hence we are still in the developing stages. We are currently not serving any part of the population as we are waiting for verification from various Appstores that will make our system available to the general public. We already have a group of corporate partners that are acting as custodians for the individuals that do not own a smartphone and we expect that these numbers will increase as our operations are expanding. 

We aim to serve the South African population (at the least) by the end of the year, but hope for the whole of Southern Africa. This means that Covi-ID could be used by as many as 500 million individuals. Covi-ID as it is currently designed, will undergo changes and improvements over the next five years to make it compatible with different national contexts and expand its functions. As such, the technology behind Covi-ID can serve from over 1 billion to 3 billion individuals worldwide. 

We would like to get the whole of South Africa and most of its neighbouring countries using Covi-ID by the end of the year. The current lockdown implies devastating economic and social costs that we hope to minimise with the broad-based used of Covi-ID. Instead of focusing solely on South Africa, we are creating a solution that is available for our African neighbours as they are facing similar challenges. The core of our philosophy is to develop a solution that includes everyone that is affected by this pandemic. This includes all races, all sexes, all countries, simply everybody on this planet. We believe that it is possible to secure our public health and safely introduce economic activity without the need to sacrifice anyones privacy. The impact we thus hope to achieve, is stop the spread of Covid-19 in the short-run and make health care more inclusive for everyone in the long-run. 

Covi-ID is open-source and we are creating our own competition. Our system can be replicated to suit any context in which it may be applied. We want users of this technology to have full property rights of their medical data and we aim to initiate transformation in the global medical sector. More than ever, we rely on science and innovation to carry us through this pandemic and prepare us for the challenges that are lying ahead.

The biggest challenge we are currently facing is receiving support from the government and the relevant ministries such as education and health. As we are only starting up our operations, we are yet to spread the word about our system and inform the South African population about our app. 

For now we have received funding that is used as start-up capital but we are already reaching out for more and finding ways to make our operations financially sustainable.

From a technical perspective we are fully equipped as our application will be available for private users with a smartphone and custodial wallets are secured by our corporate partners that are acting as custodians. As our application is taken up by more individuals, we will be able to improve our technology and respond to difficulties that may arise. 

We also have a legal work stream that is part of our team that is making sure that from a legal perspective we have all grounds covered. From a cultural perspective we do not see any difficulties yet as we believe that our system is inclusive for any user of any background. 

In conclusion, the biggest challenge we are facing at the moment is being recognised by official institutions and that our application is taken up by the general public once it has launched in all App stores. 

We are trying to get official endorsement from the government to make us part of the official response to Covid-19 as this is the biggest challenge we are currently confronted with. We developed a South African solution for (South) Africa and want it to be recognized as such by our government and other African countries. We are working hard to implement our marketing and community engagement strategies to inform big corporates (Deloitte, PWC, Meltwater, etc.) as well as schools, universities and banks. The goal is to spread the word through as many channels as possible and have broad-based usage of our application. However, we are limited in our reach to informal settlements and more rural areas and thus have been in contact with the UNDP, the World Bank and the CSIR to help us convincing the South African government to adopt Covi-ID as official response to the pandemic and to the roll out our system in other countries. 

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Covi-ID was started by a group of South African academics, students, entrepreneurs, and privacy activists. In total there are 20 co-founders who are working to make Covi-ID a reality. We also have a community of about 128 members, which has highly motivated volunteers who are helping us on this journey

Covi-ID was started by a group of South African academics, students, entrepreneurs, and privacy activists. In total there are 20 co-founders who are working to make Covi-ID a reality. We also have a community of about 128 members, which has highly motivated volunteers who are helping us on this journey.

Co-Pierre, the main founder of Coci-ID, is an Associate Professor at the University of Cape Town where his current research interest is in digital property rights. He is one of the co-founders of Covi-ID and the course convener of UCT's MPhil in Financial Technology. Co-Pierre is a Research Associate at the Oxford Martin School for the 21st Century and a Research Affiliate at the Columbia University Center for Global Legal Transformation. He is a member of the Economic Advisory Committee at the Algorand Foundation and the CEO of https://registree.rocks, a blockchain-enabled graduate recruitment platform.

The team comprises of engineers, technical specialists and economists. We are a conglomeration of students and professionals who are volunteering to make this work. 

We are working with the CSIR to help facilitate Covid-19 testing and to do research for antibody testing. Standard Bank has partnered with us to assist with some of the technologies. The Delta Studio is assisting with validate, build and scale our product.

We are working on partnering with the South African Government and as many other African governments as possible. 

1. Operational processes: 

discovery and design --> validate and launch --> attract and scale --> growth

2. Financial analysis:

• Reliance ratio: awareness of the risk of a major reduction of this type. (Largest type of income/total income)
• Reliance on Government funding: awareness of the risk in both autonomy and reliance. Government funding is often tied to specific contracts and budgets with limited flexibility.
• Earned Income Ratio: earned income as a percentage of total income - more earned income will result in more autonomy and flexibility.
• Self-sufficiency Ratio: the proportion of operating expenses that are covered by earned income. 

3. Innovation plan:

• Customer: Code providers and data owners who jointly want to monetize sensitive private data
• Technology: Novel, privacy-preserving cloud infrastructure
• Organization: Uncompromising focus on user privacy and to build collaboration and monetization capabilities
• Competition: Code repositories (e.g. github); existing cloud infrastructure providers

4. Business stage:

• Create a business presence and get at least 20 potential customers to sign up for our alpha waitlist.
• Finalize IP agreement with patent holder (UCT).
• Implement the secure multiparty coordination protocol.

Although we rely solely on external funding right now we are planning to have diversified flows of income in the future to make our operations financially sustainable in the long run. The team behind Covi-ID is only four weeks old but we are considering different ways to establish a self-generating mechanism of revenue that will allow us to break even at the minimum. This, however, depends on whether the government endorses our system as an official component of the response to the Covid-19 pandemic. As such, it is difficult to confidently state how exactly our channels of income are going to look like but we are already operating in a financially responsible manner and will maintain this throughout.

Solve is an opportunity for us to receive recognition and creating awareness of what owning your data means. We believe we have a product that is not only unique in the African context but also that can be a viable solution of medical record tracking in other contexts as well. 

While we have people working on all the steams checked above, help is always valuable. Getting an international perspective would help distribute this product beyond South Africa and Africa's borders. We are struggling with internal measurement metrics and organising internal workflow. 

We would like to partner with any institutions that could help facilitate broad-based use of our platform.