How can I protect myself sending a Photo of a passport to a private COVID test provider?
I don't know why private COVID test providers issuing fit-to-fly certificates (rapid antigen) are allowed to ask their customers to send an unobstructed, unblurred photo of a passport next to the test. It feels like a huge identity theft risk - there are hundreds of these companies in the UK alone and I bet no-one controls them. They are not established companies, almost all of them emerged in 2021. This is not really safe, to send them passport photos.
What can I do to protect myself from identity theft if I need to do such a test and can't do it in person within the time-frame given by the country I'm travelling to (24 hours before crossing the border)?
Best Answer
The test providers need to be able to verify that you are who you say you are. Otherwise they cannot create a test certificate for you.
Hence they ask for a government issued ID, and in some countries the only option you have is a passport. What you should look for is reputable companies that list on their website what their privacy and data protection measures are.
If you want to avoid that do not use such a “take at home” test. Many countries do not even accept those. Just go to a test centre.
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