Bluink is a company that’s working on systems of digital identification and verification of identify. The rationale is that this will ultimately be more secure than having physical documents. This could have potential uses both in the private and public sector. Of course, things get a bit more disturbing when you realize their latest project: a nationwide vaccine passport system. The Federal Lobbying Registry states that they’re in talks with Ottawa over the 2 subjects.
(a) Development of alignment between provincial vaccine certifications and federal standards
(b) Development of digital identification and verification standards.
According to their website, Bluink is able to run their system with driver’s licenses and service cards in all Provinces and Territories. They are also able to do Canadian, Chinese, French and U.S. passports.
Now, Bluink is also working on “aligning provincial certifications and federal standards”. In short, this means compiling a national vaccine passport system. In fairness, being in talks doesn’t mean the papers are signed, but this would be just the company to do it.
Think about it: a company that is already able to do digital ID for all Provincial and Territorial ID (and passports) is also quite likely to build a national vaccine certification system. The obvious question is that what stops this company — or any user — from simply combining the systems? How hard would it be to attach your vaccine status to a driver’s license, health card, or passport? Even if this isn’t the company to do it, Ottawa could always bring in someone else to take that last step.
If you have the full name and birthdate of every health card and vaccine record, how much work would it be to merge them into a single record?
This is also another case of “funding your own demise”, as we will get into. Taxpayers are on the hook for this creeping erosion of privacy.
No, surprise. Bluink is listed with the C.R.A. as having received the CEWS, or the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy. And if they are getting that, then the rental subsidies are likely thrown in too. Really, at this point, what company “hasn’t” been getting them?. Real capitalism seems non-existent, as everything is nationalized. And it keeps going.
According to the Lobbying Registry, it received nearly $2 million in the year 2020 from: (a) Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA); (b) Canada Post Corporation (CPC): and (c) Shared Services Canada (SSC). More is expected to get more money in 2021 and beyond. Some information about the lobbyists is given later on.
The choice of granting institutions is interesting. The CBSA won’t stop people illegally entering the country, but at least we’ll be able to given them a digital ID. That’s great.
| TIME PERIOD | INSTUTITION GRANTING | AMOUNT |
|---|---|---|
| May 2, 2012 | National Research Council | $50,000 |
| Apr. 15, 2013 | National Research Council | $40,000 |
| Apr. 15, 2013 | National Research Council | $500,000 |
| Oct. 30, 2013 | National Research Council | $30,000 |
| Jun. 25, 2015 | National Research Council | $87,500 |
| Sep. 29, 2015 | National Research Council | $47,500 |
| Mar. 4, 2016 | National Research Council | $25,500 |
| Sep. 6, 2016 | National Research Council | $205,750 |
| Sep. 6, 2016 | National Research Council | $148,750 |
| Jul. 1, 2018 | National Research Council | $50,000 |
| Oct. 21, 2018 | National Research Council | $50,000 |
| Jan. 1, 2019 | National Research Council | $48,200 |
| Jun. 1, 2019 | National Research Council | $150,000 |
| Apr. 1, 2020 | National Research Council | $152,460 |
According to the NSERC listings, Bluink was involved in a 2013 project for a Algorithmic approach to dynamic scheduling, which netted a $22,500 grant. Another one was in 2016, worth $25,000 for child Login Research using FIDO public key authentication.
So, this has actually been in the works for about a decade. The average person probably had no idea that this was going on. Now, who was pushing for vaccine certification at the Federal level?
One lobbyist for Bluink was Lindsay Stevens. Several years back, she was a “Government Affairs Intern” with Johnson & Johnson (who makes vaccines in Canada). The next year she became a legislative assist at Queen’s Park. Interesting career trajectory. Another is Adam Yahn, who has ties to both the Ontario Conservatives, and to the Federal Party. Katlyn Harrison worked briefly as a Parliamentary Assistant before going into lobbying. All are employed by the firm Summa Strategies.
Summa is Chaired by Tim Powers, long time Conservative Party of Canada operative and talking head on the Canadian news.
It has been derided as an insane conspiracy theory that this “pandemic” is being used to bring about societal change, including digital ID. On the other hand, that appear to be exactly where this is heading. And Bluink will be in a position to deliver a combined system soon, if it can’t already.
Attaching vaccine status to something like a driver’s license will make it an actual movement license (credit to RoadToSerfdom), and not just a moniker. Haven’t taken your shots — and boosters — just yet? You won’t be allowed to leave your zone. Considering that Transport Canada is also involved, this isn’t hyperbole.
When Provinces decide that there will no longer be physical service cards, or when Ottawa phases out passports, what will be used to fill the void? S.I.N. card (the white plastic ones) stopped getting produced years ago. This is just an expansion of that idea.
Worth a reminder: The Vaccine Credential Initiative includes the Ontario Ministry of Health. It’s quite possible that this is where it will be launched first.
Bluink themselves explain how their technology works. Tying a medical record to it wouldn’t be a stretch.
(1) https://lobbycanada.gc.ca/app/secure/ocl/lrs/do/vwRg?cno=370321®Id=917076
(2) https://bluink.ca/about
(3) https://bluink.ca/eid-me/id-documents
(4) https://apps.cra-arc.gc.ca/ebci/hacc/cews/srch/pub/bscSrch
(5) https://search.open.canada.ca/en/gc/
(6) https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Results-Resultats_eng.asp
(7) https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsay-e-stevens/
(8) Lindsay Stevens LinkedIn Profile
(9) https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-yahn-79a98446/
(10) Adam Yahn LinkedIn Profile
(11) https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-harrison-a1a61822/
(12) Kate Harrison LinkedIn Profile
(13) https://summastrategies.ca/about/team/
(14) https://twitter.com/roadtoserfdom3/status/1378893370421043204
(15) https://canucklaw.ca/vaccine-credential-initiative-passports-digital-health-passes-ontario-ford/
(16) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8IMLBW2N4k
This is NO surprise. The Province of Ontario as already announced back in early Sep 2021 on their website the plan to link their digital ID to vaccination status. The digital ID was to be available now BUT last month the Ontario gov’t postponed the roll-out until some time in 2022 due to wanting to make sure security was done properly (or some such thing). See it here:
https://www.ontario.ca/page/digital-id-ontario#section-2
https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-prepares-to-launch-digital-id-program-and-here-s-how-it-works-1.5577757
https://betakit.com/ontario-delays-launch-of-digital-id-program-until-2022/