China's health code lights: are you green or red?

Nowadays chaos with possible pandemics and process of creating local regulations on health codes persuade China to act accordingly. So, the retaining the health code system should be regulated at a national level in future pandemics. China accelerated the development and deployment of digital health surveillance systems worldwide. Alipay and WeChat’s Health Code system became an integral part of public health management. It functioned as a color-coded risk assessment device determining individual mobility based on health status, travel history, and exposure risks. Integrated within everyday digital platforms and shows the access to public spaces, workplaces, and transportation. Today, it covers over 900 million users in more than 300 Chinese cities. However, the system also underscored a growing dependency on digital surveillance. Beyond immediate pandemic needs, the Health Code exemplified the increasing overlap between state governance and private technology firms, as companies like Alibaba and Tencent collaborated with government authorities to facilitate large-scale data collection and processing.

How Health code works

Each user should provide personal information with their ID card, health status and? symptom updates on daily bases. In addition, Alipay and WeChat also helps to track user locations through GPS, networks and transaction histories. And this collected data allows to receive the assess for risks exposure and classify users into three color-coded categories:

• Green for No risk and full access to public spaces;

• Yellow for Medium risk and self-quarantine with 7–14 days;
• Red for High risk and restricted movement with mandatory isolation.

This QR-limitations updates daily at midnight with real-time adjustments based on movement activity and new exposure risks.

Health Code is mandatory for entry into workplaces, public transit, schools, airports, restaurants, and other popular places. People with yellow or red codes has strict mobility restrictions and often require extended isolation. The system's widespread adoption demonstrates how digital platforms can influence everyday freedoms and mobility rights.

Beyond Health Code for overall health measurement it was designed the sexual desease monitoring for the partners. Despite that, Baidu introduced the map visualizing confirmed cases across 200+ cities. Accept that, the Chinese government implemented AI-technologies with drones, thermal cameras and facial recognition to strengthen public health measures. Such technologies highlight the control management of state governance and digital platforms in crisis.

Conclusion

Nowadays, the chaos around potential pandemics and the local regulations on health codes push China to act responsible and strict. Retaining the Health Code system should be regulated at a national level for future pandemics. Whereas the system has proven effective in managing health crises, its dependency on digital surveillance gives privacy concerns. The interaction of public health, technology, and governance shows the need for a structured legal framework with transparency, accountability and human rights protection. As China continues to lead in digital health surveillance, the world must closely observe the influence of policies and their connections with individual freedoms and data security.

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