SecureKey today announced that the Province of British Columbia (B.C.) is using SecureKey briidge.net Connect 3.0 as the foundation for the BC Services Card, the world’s first public sector Services Card for online authentication. The implementation also includes support from the world’s leading supplier of secure smart card microcontrollers, NXP Semiconductors.
The BC Services Card replaces the existing provincial health CareCard and creates the foundation for multiple uses in the future. Citizens of British Columbia have the option of combining the BC Services Card with their driver’s license into a single, convenient card. It is envisioned that citizens will be able to use this card in the future for secure and private authentication to access in-person and online government services.
The multi-purpose BC Services Card enhances citizen convenience and improves patient safety by ensuring that provincially funded services are delivered to the cardholder. In addition to the citizen benefits, there are significant service delivery efficiencies. Reducing card misuse and consolidating cards into a single, multi-purpose card result in cost savings for the Province. The card lifecycle management features mean the Province can ensure that a single “current” card is linked to an individual. In addition, the Province can automatically disable cards that are out of circulation and ensure cancelled and expired cards cannot be used for program access.
Each BC Services Card includes advanced security features that help keep citizens’ personal information more secure, as well as prevent fraud such as identity theft or misuse of government services. The exterior of the card includes a photograph of the beneficiary, anti-forgery features, and an expiration date. The card utilizes embedded chip technology that is similar to what major banks around the globe currently use for contactless EMV, the global standard that major payment networks like Visa and MasterCard use to ensure security and global interoperability of payment cards.
“The innovative BC Services Card the Province has introduced on behalf of its residents has provided a roadmap for a world with secure authentication. The BC Services Card will eventually be used to provide all B.C. citizens with access to the government services they need without having them create and memorize multiple user names and passwords,” said Andre Boysen, EVP Marketing, at SecureKey. “By providing residents with a contactless digital card, B.C. is providing a great user experience while ensuring a strong security model and innovative privacy features. Canadians are already very familiar with how payment cards work, which will make using the BC Services Card very easy.”