A major advantage to using smart cards is the added security in protecting data contained in the chip. The added security comes from secure keys and secret codes that are contained in the chip to protect the data. Secure key data is typically related to an application and will typically be programmed into the card during the batch personalization process. Cardholder Data Cardholder data is data that is unique to each card issued. Cardholder data can be broken down into the two logical groups, demographic information and application information.
Demographic information is defined as any information related to the identity of the cardholder.
Information such as name, address, graphical data image of cardholder picture, signature, or fingerprint would be considered demographic information. This information is used to put the cardholder's identity on the card and to print card carriers and pin mailers for card fulfillment. Graphical data can be printed on the either side of card and typically consists of the name of the cardholder. In some financial applications and most all identification applications, an image of the cardholder is printed on the surface of the card. Both smart card chips and magnetic stripes can contain the name of the cardholder.