Smart cards

A smart card is a plastic card, typically the size of a standard credit card, which is embedded with a micromodule containing a single silicon integrated circuit chip with a memory and microprocessor. A familiar example is a magnetic strip card. Other examples include optical cards, memory cards, and microprocessor cards. Memory and microprocessor cards are truly smart cards in that they each contain an integrated circuit chip that can store information, perform local processing, and complete complex calculations. These integrated circuit cards use radio frequency chips to operate, whereas an optical card requires a laser to read the card. The benefits of smart cards are their size, their cost, and their protection against fraud. The concerns are that smart cards enable intrusive profiling of individuals by integrating different databases and biometric identifiers within the card.