Starting next week, two major airlines, United and Cathay Pacific, will start trials at Heathrow, London with new smartphone software that acts as a digital health passport for travelers.

"CommonPass," which at present offers travelers the possibility of carrying digital proof of a recent negative COVID-19 test, aims to include proof of vaccination when this becomes available, allowing passengers simply to cross borders and board commercial flights by letting a QR code be scanned on their personal mobile phone.

CommonPass, dubbed the "world's first COVID passport" by the London Daily Mail, was developed by "the Commons Project," a "nonprofit public trust established to build platforms and services to make life better for people around the world," and "Unlocking the full potential of technology and data for the common good." Its main page reveals that it "was established with support from the Rockefeller Foundation."