Identity Council

The concept of a secure identity has become a critically important issue for citizens, governments, enterprises and any organization that determines rights and privileges for individuals. Identity is important when determining voting rights, allowing access to buildings and computer systems as well as issuing driving privileges, authorizing financial transactions, obtaining medical services, enabling travel and facilitating many other aspects of life. Identity and identification documents are factors in crimes involving identity fraud that cause sizable financial loss and can be misused as tools of terrorism. Both the ability to obtain or create credible counterfeit documents and the ability to obtain genuine ones under false pretenses are threats to identity security.

The Identity Council is focused on promoting the need for technologies and usage solutions regarding human identity information to address the challenges of securing identity information and reducing identity fraud and to help organizations realize the benefits that secure identity information delivers. The Council engages a broad set of participants and takes an industry perspective, bringing careful thought, joint planning, and multiple organization resources to bear on addressing the challenges of securing identity information for proper use.

• Download description of Council mission, activities and membership

Identity Council Resources

• Identity Management in Healthcare, Smart Card Alliance Healthcare Council webinar, September 22, 2009

• Healthcare Identity Management: The Foundation for a Secure and Trusted National Health Information Network, Smart Card Alliance Healthcare Council and Identity Council brief, September 2009

• Identifiers and Authentication – Smart Credential Choices to Protect Digital Identity, Smart Card Alliance Identity Council position paper, September 2009

• Smart Card Technology in Healthcare: Frequently Asked Questions, Smart Card Alliance Healthcare Council and Identity Council document, May 2009

• Effective Healthcare Identity Management: A Necessary First Step for Improving U.S. Healthcare Information Systems – A Smart Card Alliance Brief for Government Policy Makers and Other Stakeholders, Smart Card Alliance Healthcare Council and Identity Council brief, March 2009

• ePassport Frequently Asked Questions, March 2009

• Privacy, Identity, and the Use of RFID and RF-Enabled Smart Card Technology – A Smart Card Alliance Brief for State and Local Governments, February 2009

• Interoperable Identity Credentials for the Air Transport Industry, October 2008

• Emergency Response Official Credentials: An Approach to Attain Trust in Credentials across Multiple Jurisdictions for Disaster Response and Recovery, October 2008

• Using FIPS 201 and the PIV Card for the Corporate Enterprise, October 2008

• Smart Card Technology: The Right Choice for REAL ID, January 2008

• Questions and Answers about the Proposed Use of RFID for U.S. Border Crossing Documents, November 2007

• The Consequences to Citizen Privacy and National Security in Adopting RFID Technology for Border Crossing Identity Documents, October 2007

• Statement on ePassport Security, August 7, 2007

• Smart Card Alliance Response to DHS REAL ID NPRM Federal Register Notice, Identity Council position paper, May 2007

• Statement on DHS/State Pilots for Enhanced Driver’s Licenses, April 2007

• Identity and Smart Card Technology and Application Glossary, April 2007

• RF-Enabled Applications and Technology: Comparing and Contrasting RFID and RF-Enabled Smart Cards, February 2007

• Best Practices for the Use of RF-Enabled Technology in Identity Management, January 2007

• Smart Card Alliance Response to WHTI Passport Card Federal Register Notice, Identity Council position paper, November 2006

• The REAL ID Act: Why Real ID Cards Should Be Based on Smart Card Technology, Identity Council position paper, July 2006

• EPC Gen 2 RFID Tags vs. Contactless Smart Cards: Frequently Asked Questions, Identity Council FAQ, June 2006

• Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative PASS Card: Recommendations for Using Secure Contactless Technology vs. RFID, Identity Council position paper, June 2006

• Top 10 Hot Identity Topics, Identity Council white paper, February, 2006

• Smart Card Alliance white papers on secure identity applications

Identity Council Activities

The Council is currently working on projects to raise awareness of the issues that organizations and the public face in implementing and using identity systems and to promote the use of the appropriate technologies to solve these issues. Council activities include:

• Developing white papers and briefings on key identity topics to provide educational resources to the industry.

• Developing industry positions on key identity issues and offering perspectives on solutions.

• Maintaining an active, public voice on identity topics, promoting the positive aspects of identity technology solutions and responding to reports that contain misinformation about identity technology.

Council Management

The Council is managed by a steering committee composed of a cross section of the financial payments industry and contactless smart chip technology vendors. Steering Committee officers are:

• Chair: Neville Pattinson, Gemalto
• Vice chair: John McKeon, IBM
• Secretary: Salvatore D’Agostino, IDmachines

Current steering committee members are:

• Edward Clay, Sun Microsystems
• Patrick Hearn, Oberthur Technologies
• Harold Kocken, Deloitte
• Bob Merkert, SCM Microsystems
• David Walker, Cogent Systems
• Chris Williams, SAIC

Council Membership

The Identity Council is one of several Smart Card Alliance Technology and Industry Councils. Council participation is open to any Smart Card Alliance member who wishes to contribute to the Council projects.

Smart Card Alliance members who are active in the Identity Council include:

• ActivIdentity
• Athena Smartcard Solutions
• Booz Allen Hamilton
• CardLogix
• CertiPath LLC
• CPI Card Group
• Cogent Systems
• Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC)
• CoreStreet
• Cryptography Research, Inc.
• Deloitte
• Diebold Security
• Digital Identification Solutions
• Gemalto
• General Dynamics Information Technology
• General Services Administration
• Giesecke & Devrient
• HID Global Corp.
• Hirsch Electronics
• HP Enterprise Services
• IBM
• Identity Technology Partners, Inc.
• IDmachines
• Imadgen LLC
• Infineon Technologies
• Infogard
• Jellen Ventures, Inc., LLC
• LEGIC Identsystems
• Lenel Systems International
• Lockheed Martin
• MAGICARD - Ultra Electronics
• Multos International
• NXP
• Oberthur Technologies
• Probaris, Inc.
• SAIC
• SCM Microsystems
• SI International
• Sagem ORGA
• Sun Microsystems
• Thales e-Security
• TrustBearer Labs
• U.S. Department of Defense/DMDC
• U.S. Department of Homeland Security
• Unisys
• Visa Canada
• Visa Inc.
• XTec, Incorporated