Although smart cards are set to turn public transactions with government into a one-stop shop, they do smack of big brotherdom, writes David Shapshak
Smart cards – credit card-sized micro- computers – are set to revolutionise the way government delivers services to the public.
But it will be a few years before the multi- purpose smart cards will be available as a one-stop means of interacting with all government departments, as envisaged by communications minister Jay Naidoo.
Ultimately, a smart card could contain every citizen’s identity document, driver’s licence, banking details and health record, enabling him/her to do business with the government through a system of public access kiosks in shopping centres or post offices.
The government is planning to introduce its first generation of smart cards to serve as driver’s licences. These cards – which will look like typical identity cards with the standard photograph and name – will use a two- dimensional bar- coding system to store information about a driver’s identity, licence code and prior infringements of the law.
More sophisticated smart cards can store much more information. They are in fact micro- computers with a small processor plus RAM and ROM, the two memory systems used by computers for processing and storage, respectively.
Ultimately, the government plans to launch a multi-purpose smart card which combines access to all government departments and services with banking facilities. This is part of the information technology strategy formulated by the Department of Communications and approved by the Cabinet last month.
Smart cards, along with public access kiosks, will mean a ”one-stop” shop for citizens – part of Naidoo’s plan to make government digitally interactive.
”It’s critical how we lay the architecture for an information society,” Naidoo told the Mail & Guardian. ”Smart cards are advanced enough to deliver the type of applications we want. It’s like making a choice between compact discs and vinyl records. This is the way to go.
”I am convinced we can save countless billions if we go down this route for the next 24 years. If we want to be part of the global competitive market, we must take this [smart card] route.”
Colin van Schalkwyk, senior manager of multi- media projects at the Department of Communications, says initially smart cards will allow access to social welfare, pensions and requests for government information.
People will be able to go to the kiosks and pull down application forms, he says – or download their pensions on to smart cards and use them as debit cards thereafter.
In the long term, the smart card is intended to function as passport, driver’s licence, identity document and bank card -all rolled into one.
While some have questioned the security of smart cards, Van Schalkwyk says the driver’s licence smart cards are ”completely safe”. They will have finger print details and the kiosks will have fingerprint readers, providing a ”two-fold security system greater than any security on any card available”.
The two-dimensional system is a form of advanced bar code technology that is relatively cheap compared to sophisticated smart cards, with their onboard micro- processors. And, because the critical ”code key” information – the fingerprint – is carried on the card, the system does not need a large database of fingerprints. This cuts down the costs dramatically, says Van Schalkwyk.
The government intends to combine the two- dimensional system with the onboard micro- processor technology for its long-term projects. It also plans to add a pin code to the multi- purpose card for further security.
”People think this is an impossible dream. But if we’re bold, have a clear strategy and smart partnerships with private enterprise, we can do this and smart catapult South Africa into the 21st century,” Naidoo said.
But rapid advances in smart card technology make it difficult to predict precisely how the technology will finally appear for public use, says Van Schalkwyk.
Cards are getting increasingly more durable, have increased capacity, more memory and support different applications. The kiosks, or public information terminals, will not only supply 24-hour access to government departments (providing information relating to tenders among other things), but will also offer access to the Internet and an e-mail address.
John Heath, chief executive of Zaptronix, a Johannesburg-based electronics company specialising in smart card technology, believes smart cards could transform the government’s service provision – especially in the health sector.
The German government began using smart cards in its health system 10 years ago and now has about 75-million people using the system.
A variety of health information, from a person’s identity, basic medical data, allergies, or past illnesses, is stored on cards and can be readily accessed. Doctors can even put prescriptions on the cards, which are read by pharmacists and paid for by ”electronic purses” on the cards.
”Essentially, it takes paper work out of the system,” says Heath.
In Mexico, the government is experimenting with a system whereby smart cards are issued for new-born infants, storing basic details about their weight, growth and so forth.
Food coupons are also being stored on the cards to overcome the problem of alcoholic mothers abusing the conventional system by trading the coupons for liquor.
Perhaps the area in which smart card technology could have the most impact is that of beleaguered pension payouts. ”Ghost” pensioners and long queues could be alleviated using smart cards, says Heath.
Pensioners would be able to go almost anywhere to claim their pension, load it on to their cards and be protected from theft and fraud by the various security features.
Applications in education could be similarly revolutionary. A smart card could give a student rudimentary access to restricted buildings on campus, computer access in a shared computer workroom, an electronic purse as well as managed access to the canteen, laundromat and library. Distance learners could access their institution’s online bulletins boards from kiosks or cyber cafs, send in their essays and receive course material.
But, warns British author David Icke, the possibilities for ”big brother” social control are alarming. As the capacity for storage increases, smart cards will contain more and more personal information, from birth certificates, to credit ratings to the results of your last trip to the doctor.
Access to all of this personal data will expand, impinging on an individual’s right to privacy. The real danger will be when people are convinced by the government or multinational corporations to have the smart card’s micro- processor embedded under their skin, warns Icke, who was in South Africa earlier this year.
Then a government will be able to track its citizens and their activities without appearing to be snooping.