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Hong Kong Smart Identity Card System wins gold award

28 August 2004

The Hong Kong Smart Identity Card System (SMARTICS) has won the Gold Award of the Application Category of 6th IT Excellence Awards conferred by the Hong Kong Computer Society. The Director of Immigration Mr Lai Tung-kwok received the award yesterday (August 27), on behalf of the Hong Kong Immigration Department.

Mr Lai said the Smart Identity Card System was a complicated system with state-of-the-art technology.

"The ID card with multi-application is not only an identification document but lays a solid foundation for e-applications and e-commerce. Hong Kong people enjoy a wide range of new services including the automated clearance system to be implemented at control points by the end of this year," he said.

SMARTICS comprises a number of sub-systems integrated seamlessly to support the processing of application and personalisation of the very secure smart identity cards. The processing of application which can be completed in 15 to 30 minutes is supported by the Registration of Persons sub-system. It employs advanced technologies to provide one-stop services to applicants in a paperless environment.

Personalisation of the smart identity card is performed by the fully automated laser-engraving machines driven by the Card Personalisation and Management sub-system. This sub-system also serves to ensure loading of information onto the chip from various sources in a most secure and privacy-positive manner.

Protected by sophisticated cryptography techniques, data and information in the chip cannot be altered or accessed by unauthorised parties. The chip and its operating system have attained the highest standard, ITSEC E6, by the Information Technology Security Evaluation and Certification Scheme in Europe.

The panel of judges commented that SMARTICS was comprehensive and included more than 20 innovative security features. It was impressive in its ability to smoothly integrate registration and backend operations ... a world first for complexity, innovation and transaction volumes, they said.