Smart Card Talk

January 2005 • Volume 9 Number 13

Executive Director's Letter

Dear members and friends of the Alliance,

I hope everyone had a joyful and healthy start to the New Year. January is always a big transition month for many people in the smart card industry. New business plans are in effect, new programs are launched, and much of the backlog of activity that gets put off around the holidays suddenly takes on a sense of urgency. That certainly is the case here at the Alliance this month.

One large group of people that did not have the luxury of putting things off over the holidays were the dedicated men and women committed to the government smart card industry who, along with NIST, are working on the new FIPS 201 and accompanying SP 800-73 documentation. These new federal standards were called for by the HSPD-12 presidential directive requiring tamper-resistant, machine-readable identity credentials for all government employees. Representatives from the government's Interagency Advisory Board (IAB), their contractors, and many vendors worked feverishly through the month to beat the December 23 deadline for public comments on FIPS 201 PIV parts 1 and 2, and to complete the IAB's body of work on the SP 800-73 document for submission to NIST on January 19. NIST reported that they received more than 1900 comments during the public comment period. Their staff went to work immediately to review these suggestions and objections to previous drafts for the final internal review and release of FIPS 201 that will occur on February 27. The separate, but important, SP 800-73 technical publication will be released separately around February 15 for public comment after the IAB report is reviewed and digested into the next draft. Accompanying the release of FIPS 201 will be the Government Identity Management Handbook, a guidance manual developed by FICC with support from the Smart Card Alliance. Final release of the technical publication and the manual will be sometime in March.

There is much anticipation now that the detailed comment period has passed and it is up to NIST to decide what stays in and what changes. No one knows for certain what the result will be, but everyone I have spoken with feels that the IAB and industry have come up with a solid report that defines a compatibility path that protects the millions of cards already issued, the agencies who are rolling out their programs now, and the future business from agencies not yet on board, but who face a June 2005 date to have a plan approved by OMB that will demonstrate compliance with HSPD-12.

Personally, I have been awed and inspired by what I have witnessed these last few months. Despite impossible time limits, conflicting priorities, and a mixing of different levels of technical abilities by the government and industry, this group has done a miraculous job of meeting the challenge and delivering a solution. It is too early to celebrate and certainly not the time to sit back and say "my work is done," but this process has brought the smart card industry together like never before. I am proud to be in the position I hold as part of the smart card industry and I hope those who have worked so hard will be recognized for what they have accomplished.

Which leads me to my next point. When can we all get together and hear firsthand what has taken place in government smart cards - not only with HSPD-12 but with ePassports, biometrics, driver's licenses, and more? The answer is the "Smart Cards in eGovernment 2005 Conference," March 9-11, at the Renaissance Hotel, Washington, DC. Yes, less than 2 weeks after FIPS 201 is released, the Alliance will be holding its 4th annual conference and exhibition. The program agenda will include leaders from OMB, the IAB committee, NIST, and many government agency administrators who will share their knowledge and experience. Industry experts will explain the impact that FIPS 201 has on identity management programs and teach attendees how to begin to implement smart card-related technologies. Exhibitors from over 30 companies are expected to showcase their technology, and panelists and individual presenters will be split into technical and business and implementation tracks on a variety of subjects. Online registration is now open so make sure you plan to be there to hear what is happening next for government IDs, travel documents, security systems, and payments.

As I reported last month, we have published two documents about RFID technology and contactless smart cards. The first is a 2-page summary position document that compares and contrasts RFID tags with contactless smart card technology (which is similar to the technology used in ePassports). The second is a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document that discusses in more detail the differences between RFID tags and contactless smart cards, but that also addresses inaccuracies about the ePassport implementation that privacy advocates have made to the media. We have made these documents available to the Bureau of Consular Affairs and Passport Services and they are posted on our web site. We are already seeing the benefits of this work, with more than 350 downloads of the report since it was released 2 weeks ago.

In other news, read in this month's issue about the new industry councils that are forming to focus on specific market adoption opportunities and challenges facing the transit industry and physical access security markets. Members are welcome to join these councils. Additional councils are forming around the health care industry and contactless payments. If you would like to join these efforts or start your own industry council, send an email to info@smartcardalliance.org . Also, read about how the Smart Card Alliance Latin America project is heating up. I will be visiting Brazil and Mexico this spring to publicize our efforts to support the Latin American markets. Lastly, check out the calendar of events for this coming year and come visit us at RSA Security, RFID World, ISC West, CardTech/SecurTech, and Payments 2005.

Considering becoming a corporate, government, or individual member? Now is the time. Take advantage of the benefits of membership before our next event. Visit the web site for details.

Randy Vanderhoof, Executive Director