The Technology Behind Smart Cards

Smart cards are embedded microprocessors that can handle complex tasks and share information almost instantly. But, how exactly do they work?

A smart card is a computer chip so tiny it fits inside of a plastic credit card. It’s a pocket sized cord with embedded integrated circuits. These smart cards are used in everything from financial transactions–like credit cards–to mobile phones. In Europe, smart cards are used much more, particularly in mobile phones.

The cards are usually made from plastic. The size of a smart card is usually the same as a credit card, or close to the size of a credit card. The microprocessor part of the card is found under a gold foiling that rests on the outside of the card.

Smart cards are tamper resistant. These smart cards can share information with a card reader like that found in an ATM or credit card machine. But, the cards aren’t usually swiped. They’re either tapped on the reader so that the information is read simply from being in close proximity or the cards or put in the reader and read by contact with the card.

The technology behind smart cards has actually been around since the 1960s but the chips were much larger. In the 1980s, a German scientist created a card for using to pay for a call on a pay phone. The cards weren’t widely used and received. The technology wasn’t really used much until the 1990s when cell phones in Europe developed using the smart card technology with a card called a SIM card. With the popularity of the cell phone in Europe on the rise, the smart cards too became much more popular.

In fact, every German citizen has a smart card. The German health care card is a smart card that tracks health care coverage for Germans.

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Types of Smart Cards

Smart cards are cards that contain a microprocessor for storing and transferring data. The cards come in different types and can be read in different ways. Smart cards either contact cards or contact less cards, this describes the way the data from a card is read.

Contact cards have a contact area on the card made of gold foil usually about a square centimeter in size. The gold foil is separated into several different pads. When inserted into a reader like an ATM, the gold pads transfer information through electrical connectivity. The cards do not contain batteries for these transactions. All power is provided through the reader. The readers act as a medium between the card and the host, which is a computer or phone, like in a phone SIM card.

The second type of smart card is a contactless smart card. These cards do not make contact with the reader and do not contain the gold foiled pad. These cards are powered through RF induction technology. To communicate and transfer data, the cards only have to be in proximity of the antenna. These cards are used for quick and hands free transactions. Some credit cards have used this technology for cards that only have to be tapped or waved in front of an antenna for transactions, but they caused problems when a card in a pocket or purse came within range of the antenna and cards were inadvertently swiped and charged for purchases not made.

One big use of contactless cards is public transportation. The cards are quick and easy to keep lines of commuters flowing. The cards swipe as riders walk near a reader and lines aren’t held up by people swiping cards through a reader.

Smart cards are usually either contact cards or contactless, but some cards are a hybrid that can act as both.

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Basics of Smart Card Technology

Smart cards are increasing in popularity. The cards have been used regularly in Europe since the 1990s, but just recently started being seen more in the United States. The cards protect data inside of a card.

A smart card contains an embedded microprocessor that not only contains information, but also actively protects that information through encryption techniques. The smart cards are usually about the size of a credit card and made from plastic. The chip part of the card is covered in gold foil on the outside of the card.

The cards can be read in one of two ways, either through direct contact or through proximity readers. A proximity reader can read information from a smart card that just comes within a certain distance of the reader. The card is sometimes just tapped on the machine. Readers work similarly to swiping a credit card. The reader needs direct contact with the card to transfer information.

The smart cards have been used in Europe for mobile phones for years. The smart cards in mobile cards are called “SIM” cards and include the mobile phone number and account information. This allows users to add funds as they go, and also adds a user to easily switch phones and keep the same number.

Besides being used for mobile phones, smart cards have several other applications. The cards are used in the financial world for banking as ATM cards and credit cards. The cards are in use as identification cards in some parts of the world as well. For example, in Germany, users carry a smart card as the primary health care coverage card. The cards can contain a good deal of information in a tiny card. So much information that the card can contain an entire medical file.

Smart card technology allows for the transmission of data from a card to a reader in a protected manner.

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Benefits to Using the Smartcard

Close up of contacts on a Smart card with sign...
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Everyone in Europe seems to be talking about the smart card. This small card that fits into anyone’s wallet has brought a lot of debate with it. Many people believe that this smart card is in some way an invasion of privacy and allows people to quickly access information on individuals. While others believe that the smart card is a way to get all types of information from banking, financial, personal records and health records all into one location.

While it might be hard to decide what side of the debate you are on, it might be helpful to getting some of the facts about a smart card before you decide. Here are some of the benefits and facts about the smart card.

Storage of Information. The smart card can carry a lot of information on it that would otherwise be contained in papers that located throughout your house. This storage of information allows you to keep all personal information in one place and allows you avoid dealing with the stress of having dozens of important documents that cannot be lost. So if you accidentally lose your documents that document the amount of money you paid this year on one of your rented Phoenix apartments, that information could all be stored right onto a smart card and kept together.

Security. Each smart card has an individualized number. When the card is used it uses highly advanced technology that scrambles the numbers so that no one can intercept them and use them against you.

Portability. Smart cards are no larger than the size of your bank card. This means they are extremely portable and can be carried anywhere. No longer is there a reason to have to carry stacks of papers or huge folders filled with dozens of documents. The smart card can be used to store all the information in a small, portable device.

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Overview of a Smart Card

A user walks up and taps a card in front of a small reader and the clerk waves them on. Smart card technology changes the way credit and debit cards are used. This type of technology contains a small embedded processor that holds a user’s account information. These cards come in two types: contact and contactless. The contact cards don’t have to be swiped, but information is exchanged by proximity.

Smart cards have been popular in Europe since the 1990s. The technology behind the cards was invented in the 1960s. In the 1980s, the cards were used to some degree to pay for pay phone calls, but it wasn’t until mobile phones became popular that the use of these cards became common place. In Europe, and with some American carriers, phones contain a smart card called a SIM card. The card contains the phone number and account information so if a user wants to switch phones, all he has to do is switch the SIM cards.

Smart cards aren’t just for mobile phones, they have many other applications as well. The cards are secure and encrypted making them a safe option. The cards are used for banking as well in the form of ATM, debit and credit cards.

Smart cards are also used for identification cards. A users information is loaded on the card and can be read to transfer any needed information. Smart cards are also popular in health care. In health care, smart cards are used for identification like in ID badges and also used to hold patient medical chart records. Smart card technology allows a lot of information to be contained on a tiny chip making this popular.

Smart cards are another way for users to easily and quickly share information to pay for purchases, confirm identity or to work mobile phones.

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Are Smart Cards Safe?

Smart card technology has grown over the past few decades. Especially in Europe, these cards are used by just about everyone. The cards are plastic and the size of a credit card and contain an embedded microprocessor.

The security of these cards is important because of what these cards are used for. Smart cards are found in mobile phones, where they’re called SIM cards. In a phone, the smart card contains the users phone number and account information. Smart cards are used in identification like government issued ID cards and in banking cards like ATM and debit cards. The cards must be secure for this portable storage system to be effective. And, thankfully, the cards are considered secure.

Smart cards are safe because of several processes and methods. Data integrity makes sure the data is correct and the transaction is legit. The details of the data and transaction are examined. This occurs with electronic cryptography. In electronic cryptography, data is assigned a unique identifier, like a finger print. If there’s an attempt to change that identifier, red flags are issued throughout the information management system.

Authentication inspects and identifies the people involved in a transaction or data transfer. Authentication might occur through matching electronic signatures. The strength of authentication systems is important to the security of a card.

Several security methods occur with various costs associated with them. Having a password associate with using a card is cheap while requiring digital signatures to be approved before the transaction is approved is costly. So, not all security methods are always in practice. It depends on how important the action is. For example, larger purchases on a credit card might require matching signatures while small purchases might require a person only put in a password or PIN.

Smart card security is important to the information storage method. Without security, smart cards are a failure, but smart cards are considered safe overall.

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Staying Safe While Playing at an Online Casino

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Every year, if not every month, there is a new technology to learn about and catch up with as everyone adopts the new standard. Often, it’s beneficial to look at what’s going on in Europe to gain an idea of what might be coming down the pipe. Europe, for reasons probably related to a less red-tape gummed system, has been able to adopt some technologies at seemingly light speed as compared to what America has managed. Take cell phone adoption rates, for example. Europe was quick to implement one standard upon which all cell phones would operate, and that allowed all phones to cross connect between networks. Baffling as it might have been, America did not adopt the same methodology, which stunted the speed of cellular technology. It’s as if the country shot itself in the collective foot with that particular stumbling block.

Similarly, Europe now leads the way with SmartCards. They are a system similar to that proposed by Oracle’s infamous Larry Ellison, who suggested following 9/11 that a smart card system might help to thwart future terrorist attacks. The SmartCard requires input of correct data to be used and without it, the card is pretty much useless. This prevents thieves from getting anywhere fast at your, or your credit card company’s, expense.

SmartCards have all the hallmarks of an important technology that will be adopted by Americans in the future. They’re simple to use but safer than current methods. They allow for unprecedented intelligence in a plastic card, so that the next time you’re playing at an online casino, you can be sure no one on the other end of the transaction is merely writing down your account number for future use. It’s about time Americans caught up to the seemingly more tech-savvy European minds. Adopting the SmartCard system quickly would be a step in the right direction.

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SmartCard: An Overview

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Smart Cards are plastic credit card sized cards that contain an embedded 8 bit microprocessor. Smart cards are portable storage technology. These cards are in wide use in Europe and have been since the 1990s, but have just recently grown in popularity in the United States.

A smart card might look like a regular credit card but on the inside it’s much different. The fact that it has an inside and is not just a flat card makes it different. The card contains the microprocessor. This microprocessor is covered with gold foil flakes. This chip replaces the magnetic strip portion of a regular credit card for information storage and sharing.

The cards are used almost universally in Europe for banking. A smart card might be used as an ATM, credit or debit card. The card can be inserted into a reader like an ATM machine much like a typical magnetic stripe credit card. But, smart cards don’t always have to make contact with a reader. A smart card can also be simply waved in front of a reader and share information using an embedded radio antenna. These types of cards are called contactless cards.

In Europe, smart cards became popular because they were used for mobile phones. Mobile phones contain a smart card called a SIM card. Some US carriers use SIM card technology as well, but it’s not universal as it almost is in Europe. These smart cards contain the subscriber’s telephone number and account number meaning a user can switch phones by simply switching out the SIM card and putting it in the new phone. A smart card in a phone isn’t as large as a credit card but only about an inch square and also made from a slightly different plastic material that looks and feels more like cardboard.

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Uses of a Smart Card

In Europe, most people have at least one or two on their person at all times. In the United States, they’re becoming more popular. Smart cards are credit card looking portable storage devices used in many applications.

These smart cards contain an 8 bit embedded microprocessor that not only stores data but also functions to communicate with a reader and does self encryption as a security technique. The cards can contain pages and pages of date or just contain one account number.

Smart cards were invented in the 1960s but weren’t used until the 1980s when they were marginally used as pre paid phone cards to pay for pay phone calls. It wasn’t until the 1990s and the rise in the popularity of mobile phones that smart cards really took off. Europe embraced the cards and used them widely for mobile phone uses. In a mobile phone, the smart card holds the subscriber’s account and phone numbers and allow a user to keep the same phone number and just use a different phone by simply swapping the card out.

But, smart card uses aren’t limited to mobile phones. Smart cards are widely used in the banking industry. Smart cards are used as credit cards, where a gold foiled chip contains the account information and is read by insertion into a reader or by simply proximity to the reader. Debit and ATM cards can also be smart cards.

The health care industry uses smart cards as well. In fact, every German citizen has a smart card. The health care coverage ID card in Germany is a smart card. Smart cards are also used in health care as ID badges for employees and to hold patient medical record charts for easy transportation.

Some other common uses of smart cards include loyalty card programs, identification, satellite television, and computer security systems.

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What are Smart Cards used for in Europe?

Smart cards look like plastic cards and sometimes act like a credit card, holding financial data, but do much more as well. Smart cards hold an embedded microprocessor and were invented in the 1960s, but not used until the 1980s.

In the 1990s, Europeans started using smart cards regularly for mobile phones. In a mobile phone, a smart card is called a “SIM” card. The card holds the phone number and account subscriber information. In most parts of Europe, users don’t have a contract with a phone provider but add and use minutes through the smart card in the phone.

This type of technology just recently started taking off in the United States with some users using the smart cards in mobile phones. But, other uses have come about like using the smart cards for credit cards. The advantage of a smart card is that the information is encrypted within the card and in general considered more secure than magnetic stripe credit cards.

In Europe, the cards are used as credit, debit and ATM cards as well. The cards are also used for identification as well. The card can hold information in the chip about a person like address and identification numbers.

The cards have many health care applications. In Germany, every person has a smart card for health care coverage. The cards are also used for identification in health care as employee badges. The cards can hold a lot of information and can even be used to hold health records.

Smart cards are in wide use in Europe. The use of smart cards is growing in other parts of the world, including the United States. Europeans use smart cards for identification cards, mobile phones and for banking cards. Smart cards will continue to grow in popularity because they offer a secure reliable way to share information.

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