Taiwanese get Java cards for health care

The Taiwan government has completed the distribution of 22 million Java-based ID cards to its citizens in one of Asia's largest deployments to date.

The country's Bureau of National Health Insurance (BNHI) adopted Sun Microsystems' Java card technology primarily to prevent identity theft, according to a statement from the computing firm.

Identity theft is common in Taiwan when one user pretends to be another in order to use subsidised medical services.

Each card contains a microprocessor with 32KB of memory that allows data such as allergy information, emergency contact numbers, medication and personal insurance to be stored.

At any time new applications are available, to be downloaded and stored in the card. Running applications on the card removes the need for sensitive personal data to be moved across networks, and the need for centralised servers to sit behind all card transactions. It's also faster to run everything on the card compared with running it on back-end server, said a spokesman.

"Java card technology allows card issuers to modify the services and applications on the card as the user's needs change, without incurring additional costs to replace the card," said Daniel Yu, Sun Microsystems Greater China VP global sales.

The distribution of the 22 million health cards, started in July last year to replace a paper-based system, was expected to finish by May this year, said the statement. Such cards cost around $2 each.

In an even larger scheme in Thailand, the government plans to issue a Java-based national ID card to all 61 million citizens, according to a report in the Bangkok Post.

The card will contain biometric identification, as well as insurance, tax and welfare benefit information. The scheme is expected to be launched later this year, said the report.