Smart cards are so-called because of their ability to carry large amounts of data in a small space. The Smart Card Alliance defines a smart card as "a device that includes an embedded integrated circuit that can be either a secure micro-controller or equivalent intelligence with internal memory or a memory chip alone." Some smart cards carry information on magnetic strips and need to be passed through a compatible reader to be activated, while others simply carry embedded memory chips. Sometimes smart cards contain both older and newer types of identification technology, such as both bar codes and microchips. Contact-free smart cards have built-in antennae that allow them to be accessed and read remotely by a reader with a radio frequency interface. The card's owner simply has to be within close distance to a reader and need not even take out the card to make a transaction.
Smart cards used in college and university settings typically serve several identification functions. First, they usually bear the holder's photo and serve as official campus identification. They can also serve as library cards and in some cases, access cards for campus facilities such as dormitories and dining halls. Smart cards can also serve as cash substitutes on campus: they can be linked to users' bank accounts and used to make purchases or payments at campus facilities.
Efficiency and convenience are the obvious advantages of smart cards for users. Students, faculty and staff at campuses with smart card ID systems need carry only a single piece of identification for all official campus interactions. Contact-less smart cards enable large numbers of people to pass through busy checkpoints quickly at campus events (such as concerts, for example) since their holders need not stop to show their cards to gatekeepers. Since these cards need to be taken out and handled significantly less than traditional ID cards, they are less likely to be lost or stolen than traditional cards. Another advantage is that smart cards physically store all relevant information about their users, unlike older forms of electronic identification, which merely access personal information from a central database. This protects users' information since there is no central repository of personal information that can be potentially compromised.
While smart card technology is designed to keep personal information encrypted and secure, security breaches are still a potential threat. Physical damage, such as scratches to magnetic strips, can render cards unreadable. Unusual changes in electrical voltage can likewise erase or change information from smart cards, as can heat or exposure to strong UV rays. Thieves attempting to access others' cards have exploited these shortcomings. Some attacks on smart cards have involved physical removal of memory processors, which can then be reverse-engineered. Continuing advances in smart card technology, however, are making newer cards less vulnerable to such attacks.