What good is a Social Security card made of paper? Not much, according to Neville Pattinson, a Smart Card advocate, in a column last week in govinfosecurity.com. He argues that a paper card does nothing to help protect the Social Security number printed on it, especially at a time the SSN is vulnerable to theft and misuse far and wide.

Pattinson knows something about this. He's the vice president of government affairs and business development at Arlington-based Gemalto North America, and is on the executive committee of the Smart Card Alliance Identity Council. He also sits on the Department of Homeland Security's Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee.

He argues persuasively that the SSN is the most visible identification number used by banks, credit card companies and many other institutions to identify people, and says that it might be time to make the Social Security card electronically enabled. Pattinson suggests using smart card technology to keep the number safe with biometric identifiers that can keep the thieves away.

"The paper card could be replaced with a credit card-sized piece of plastic that contains a small computer, or microprocessor, with special security software that actively protects the owner's Social Security number," Pattinson said. "People will appreciate that they are carrying their fingerprint template with them instead of having copies of it stored in terminals or databases, or traveling across networks and the Internet."

For more on an electronic SSN:
- see this govinfosecurity.com article

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