The BC Services card : British Columbia Services card

The goal of this report is to contextualize the politics and technology behind the new BC Services Card and, in the process, understand prospective security-and privacy-related issues that are linked with the initiative. [...] We also examine the significance of the smart chip that is embedded in the card and how the purposes and uses of the card could ‘creep’ beyond currently stated intentions and applications. [...] As with the UK card, the symbolism of the EHIC was significant; the card was seen as placing “another piece of Europe in your pocket.”18 The EU advocated for the card for a series of reasons: 1. It would ease daily life for EU citizens by enabling movement throughout the union; 2. It would ensure EU citizens received health care when travelling through the EU; 17 The Identity Projects. [...] In this section we first provide some of the history around the card and then identify how the government has justified the card, core drivers for the system, as well as some of the inhibitors. [...] Over a span of the next five years (coinciding with the expiry of residents’ BC driver licenses) the MoH will phase out the current magnetic-stripe MSP CareCard with a new mandatory Services Card that will feature contactless smart chips.28 Under the current Services Card initiative, BC citizens will have the option of visiting Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) branches to obtain a