About Smart Cards : Applications : Identity |
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Identity Applications
- Smart Card Alliance Identity Resources
- Smart Cards and Identity Applications
- Other Identity Resources
Smart Card Alliance Identity Resources
Benefits of Smart Cards versus Magnetic Stripe Cards for Healthcare Applications
Best Practices for the Use of RF-Enabled Technology in Identity Management
The Commercial Identity Verification (CIV) Credential–Leveraging FIPS 201 and the PIV Specifications
EPC Gen 2 RFID Tags vs. Contactless Smart Cards: Frequently Asked Questions
Identifiers and Authentication – Smart Credential Choices to Protect Digital Identity
Privacy and Secure Identification Systems: The Role of Smart Cards as a Privacy-Enabling Technology
The REAL ID Act: Why Real ID Cards Should Be Based on Smart Card Technology
RF-Enabled Applications and Technology: Comparing and Contrasting RFID and RF-Enabled Smart Cards
Smart Card Alliance Response to WHTI Passport Card Federal Register Notice
Smart Card Technology in Healthcare: Frequently Asked Questions
Smart Cards and Identity Applications
Smart card technology is currently recognized as the most appropriate technology for identity applications that must meet critical security requirements, including:
- Authenticating the bearer of an identity credential when used in conjunction with personal identification numbers (PINs) or biometric technologies
- Protecting privacy
- Increasing the security of an identity credential
- Implementing identity management controls
Countries around the world use smart cards for secure identity applications. In addition, both government organizations and public corporations (including Microsoft, Sun Microsystems, Chevron, and Boeing) use smart employee ID cards to secure access to physical facilities and computer systems and networks.
Additional information on the use of smart cards for identity applications can be found on the enterprise ID and government application pages and from the Smart Card Alliance Identity Council.
Identity in Cyberspace
U.S. citizens are increasingly using the Internet for sensitive transactions, like banking, mortgage applications, buying and trading stocks, and reviewing healthcare information. Given this, there are very real problems of identity management, privacy and security in cyberspace. Smart card technology (in various form factors including cards, USB tokens and mobile phones) enables strong multi-factor authentication on the Internet.
The Obama administration has recognized the need for stronger online identity authentication and established the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC) initiative. NSTIC broadly defines an Identity Ecosystem that would re-establish trust and better protect online identities. According to the Howard A. Schmidt on the White House blog, “Through the strategy we seek to enable a future where individuals can voluntarily choose to obtain a secure, interoperable, and privacy-enhancing credential (e.g., a smart identity card, a digital certificate on their cell phone, etc.) from a variety of service providers–both public and private–to authenticate themselves online for different types of transactions (e.g., online banking, accessing electronic health records, sending email, etc.).”
Additional information on the use of smart cards for identity applications in cyberspace can be found on the Smart Card Alliance Identity Council page.
Other Identity 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
- IDManagement.gov, providing information on Federal identity management activities
- Initiative for Open Authentication (OATH)
- Kantara Initiative
- National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace
- Open Identity Exchange (OIX)
- Smart Card Alliance Identity Council
- Smart Card Alliance Physical Access Council
