About Smart Cards : Applications : Government |
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Government Applications
Smart Card Alliance Government Resources
- Authentication Mechanisms for Physical Access Control Systems
- Best Practices for the Use of RF-Enabled Technology in Identity Management
- Considerations for the Migration of Existing Physical Access Control Systems to Achieve FIPS 201 Compatibility
- Emergency Response Official Credentials: An Approach to Attain Trust in Credentials across Multiple Jurisdictions for Disaster Response and Recovery
- ePassport Frequently Asked Questions
- FIPS 201 PIV II Card Use with Physical Access Control Systems: Recommendations to Optimize Transaction Time and User Experience
- FIPS 201 Resources
- FIPS 201 and Physical Access Control: An Overview of the Impact of FIPS 201 on Federal Physical Access Control Systems
- Government ID Resources
- Identifiers and Authentication – Smart Credential Choices to Protect Digital Identity
- Identity Management Systems, Smart Cards and Privacy
- Interoperable Identity Credentials for the Air Transport Industry
- Logical Access Security: The Role of Smart Cards in Strong Authentication
- Physical Access Control System Migration Options for Using FIPS 201-1 Compliant Credentials
- Privacy, Identity, and the Use of RFID and RF-Enabled Smart Card Technology – A Smart Card Alliance Brief for State and Local Governments
- Privacy and Secure Identification Systems: The Role of Smart Cards as a Privacy-Enabling Technology
- Recommendation on the Credential Numbering Scheme for the FIPS 201 PIV Card Global Unique Identifier
- Secure Identification Systems: Building a Chain of Trust
- Smart Card Alliance Identity Council
- Smart Card Alliance Physical Access Council
- Smart Card Alliance Response to DHS REAL ID NPRM Federal Register Notice
- Smart Card Alliance Response to WHTI Passport Card Federal Register Notice
- Smart Cards and Biometrics in a Privacy-Sensitive Secure Personal Identification System
- The REAL ID Act: Why Real ID Cards Should Be Based on Smart Card Technology
- The Top 10 Hot Identity Topics
- Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative PASS Card: Recommendations for Using Secure Contactless Technology vs. RFID
U.S. Federal Government Smart Card Programs
Smart card technology is currently recognized as the most appropriate technology for identity applications that must meet critical security requirements. Countries around the world use smart cards for secure identity, payment, and healthcare applications. In addition, public corporations use smart employee ID cards to secure access to physical facilities and computer systems and networks.
The U.S. Federal government has standardized on smart cards for employee and contractor identification cards and is also specifying smart cards in new identity programs for citizens, transportation workers and first responders.
HSPD-12, FIPS 201 and the PIV Card
Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12), issued by President George W. Bush on August 27, 2004, mandated the establishment of a standard for identification of Federal government employees and contractors. HSPD-12 requires the use of a common identification credential for both logical and physical access to federally controlled facilities and information systems. The Department of Commerce and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) were tasked with producing a standard for secure and reliable forms of identification. In response, NIST published Federal Information Processing Standard Publication 201 (FIPS 201), Personal Identity Verification (PIV) of Federal Employees and Contractors, issued on February 25, 2005, and a number of special publications that provide more detail on the implementation of the standard.
Both Federal agencies and enterprises are now implementing FIPS 201-compliant ID programs. As of late 2009, the Office of Management and Budget reported that the Federal government has issued over 4 million HSPD-12 credentials, or 71% of the ID card population.
Additional information about FIPS 201 can be found on the FIPS 201 Resources page, from NIST and from the Smart Card Alliance Physical Access Council.
Department of Defense Common Access Card
One of the most advanced smart ID card programs in the United States is the Department of Defense (DoD) Common Access Card (CAC), a smart card that serves as the DoD standard identification for active duty military personnel, selected reserve personnel, civilian employees, and eligible contractor personnel. The CAC is the principal card used for logical access to DoD computer networks and systems, and will be the principal card used to enable physical access as systems are installed for authentication and access at DoD facilities. As of May 2008, DoD had issued over 12 million smart cards. As with all Federal agencies, DoD is now migrating to a FIPS 201-compliant Common Access Card.
Department of Homeland Security Transportation Worker Identification Credential
TWIC was established by Congress through the Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA) and is administered by the [Transportation Security Administration (TSA)](http://www.tsa.gov} and U.S. Coast Guard. TWICs are tamper-resistant biometric credentials that are being issued to workers who require unescorted access to secure areas of ports, vessels, outer continental shelf facilities and all credentialed merchant mariners. Longshoremen, truckers, port employees and others are required to obtain a TWIC. As of December 2009, over 1.3 million cards have been issued and activated.
Registered Traveler Program
The Registered Traveler program was designed to provide expedited security lane access to pre-registered and pre-screened travelers.
The Register Traveler Interoperability Consortium (RTIC) was formed by a group of airports to establish common business rules and technical standards to create a permanent, interoperable and vendor-neutral Registered Traveler (RT) Program which will bring passenger screening consistency and improved security procedures to air travelers in the United States.
DHS First Responders Access Credential (FRAC) pilot program
The Office of National Capital Region Coordination coordinated a major initiative to develop a smart identity card system (the First Responder Authentication Card) for emergency responders. These smart cards would allow first responders from across the region the ability to quickly and easily access government buildings and reservations in the event of a terrorist attack or other disaster. The initiative is designed to remedy access problems such as those encountered by state and local emergency officials responding to the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon.
The Smart Card Alliance Identity Council and Physical Access Council developed a white paper, Emergency Response Official Credentials: An Approach to Attain Trust in Credentials across Multiple Jurisdictions for Disaster Response and Recovery, after discussion with DHS personnel to understand the complexities of trusting identity credentials at disaster response and recovery scenes. The white paper describes the benefits of using FIPS 201-based smart cards for ERO credentials and presents credential use cases that support both emergency response and daily use. The Smart Card Alliance offers an independent assessment of how technology and processes can support achieving a high level of assurance in the identity of resources on hand to enable rapid decision-making by incident scene commanders on both a local and national scale.
U.S. ePassport
The Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs, in cooperation with its partners at the United States Government Printing Office and the Department of Homeland Security, is now issuing a new version of the United States passport that contains an embedded contactless smart card chip. The chip is used to store biographic data on the passport; once unlocked, the data can be displayed on a screen at passport control. The new technology enhances the security of the passport and facilitates the movement of travelers at ports of entry.
The new ePassport has been designed to comply with the specifications of the ICAO, Document 9303, Part I and its technical reports and annexes relating to advanced storage media for use in passports. The Smart Card Alliance Identity Council ePassport FAQ answers common questions about how the ePassport works and what technology is used to protect an ePassport holder’s personal information.
Additional information on U.S. government smart card programs can be found at the GSA smart card web site. The Smart Card Alliance annual Smart Cards in Government conference includes briefings from many government smart card program managers, with proceedings available from past conferences.
Other Government Smart Card Resources
- Federal Identity, Credential, and Access Management (FICAM) Roadmap and Implementation Guidance, November 10, 2009. This document provides Federal agencies with architecture and implementation guidance that addresses existing ICAM concerns and issues.
- Federal Information Processing Standard 201 (FIPS 201) Personal Identity Verification (PIV) of Federal Employees and Contractors
- Government Smart Card Handbook
- Identity Management Task Force Report 2008, published by the National Science and Technology Council Subcommittee on Biometrics and Identity Management. This report presents an overview of the current state of federal identity management systems and also presents a high-level vision of how these systems can be holistically designed to provide better services while increasing privacy protection. The purpose of this report is to initiate further discussion on this vision, inform policy decisions, and provide direction on which to base near-term research.
- IDManagement.gov, providing information on Federal identity management activities
- Inter-agency Advisory Board (IAB) web site
- Smart.Gov - GSA smart card web site
