Quebec defends vaccine passport system after politicians’ QR codes allegedly hacked

MONTREAL _ Quebec’s government defended its vaccine passport system on Friday amid news that prominent politicians’ vaccination information had allegedly been hacked.

The Health Department said in a statement it was aware of reports that people had managed to steal the QR codes of members of the Quebec legislature and said police complaints had been filed.

The statement came after Le Journal de Montreal and Radio-Canada reported that hackers had been able to obtain the codes of prominent politicians _ including Premier Francois Legault and Health Minister Christian Dube.

The quick response codes are scannable codes containing a person’s name, date of birth and information about the vaccinations they have received. They are the central feature of the government’s vaccine passport system, which will be required as of Sept. 1 to visit businesses the provincial government deems non-essential, such as bars, clubs and restaurants.

In a statement, Legault’s office reiterated that the codes do not contain any sensitive personal information.

“The QR code sent by the health minister contains only the name of the person, their birthday and the list of vaccines received,” the statement read.

“In fact, there is less information in the QR code than on a driver’s licence or a medicare card.”

Legault’s press secretary did not confirm the premier was among those affected by the breach, but he noted that the alleged hack concerned public figures whose basic information and vaccine status were already widely available on the internet.

The government says nobody is allowed to use another person’s QR code and anyone who breaks that rule could face serious penalties. Businesses who require the vaccine passport will also be asked to check their customers’ photo ID to ensure the names match, and they are expected to report to police anyone who tries to use someone else’s QR code.

The Health Department also noted that the vaccine passport was still being tested ahead of the wider launch next week.

“It was precisely the objective of making the application available before the vaccine passport comes into effect Sept. 1 to make the necessary adjustments,” the statement read.

“If improvements need to be made, they will be made.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 27, 2021.