The Walt Disney Co. could be in need of a fairy godmother to help the House of Mouse out of a recent legal situation. Disney employees have filed a class-action lawsuit against the company, claiming that employee identification cards – issued to avoid security risks – actually expose the personnel to the risk of identity theft. A worker discovered that a smart phone app that reads barcodes was able to decipher his Social Security number, encoded in his ID card, simply by scanning the card. The lawsuit contends that encoding Social Security numbers violates California law. The codes can be read by most cellular phones, including the Apple iPhone and Android devices, according to employees.
Despite the negative light that the Disney situation is shining on identification cards, there is no doubt that the technology is increasingly accepted as the credential of choice for securely controlling physical access. Standards-based smart ID cards can be used to easily authenticate a person’s identity, determine the appropriate level of access, and physically admit the cardholder to a facility. Through the appropriate use of contact or contactless smart card technology in the overall physical access system design, you can implement the strongest possible security policies for any situation.