Analysis-Viable plan or security theatre? Europe embraces digital health pass

FILE PHOTO: View of the town of Halki, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, on the island of Halki, Greece, April 13, 2021. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Vassilis Triandafyllou/File Photo

MADRID (Reuters) - As Europe races to set up a digital health pass scheme to save the holiday season from the pandemic, technical and political obstacles are showing just how big a challenge the world faces in building such systems, people involved in the effort say.

Developers are grappling with issues ranging from the practical - such as what to accept as proof of being COVID-19 free - to the philosophical, including debates over discrimination and personal privacy.