A Paradigm Shift in Smart Card Ownership Model

Abstract

Smart cards have been proliferated into many aspects of modern life. Historically, the ownership of smart cards has remained with the smart card issuers. Although this ownership model is favored by a wide range of industries and service providers, it does not provide optimum convenience and flexibility to cardholders. One potential solution could be to shift the control of smart cards from the smart card issuers to the smart card users. In this paper, we will analyze the feasibility of an ownership model that delegates the ownership of a smart card to its user. The operational and security requirements of the proposed ownership model will be provided. In addition, principal research questions are identified that would merit further in-depth analysis to test the viability of this ownership model.