Guide to Card Providers
What is a card provider?
A card provider is a website that issues managed Information Cards to some or all of its users.
What is a managed card?
It is an Information Card that you download from a website, vs. one that you create yourself (the latter is called a personal card). By analogy to the cards in your purse or wallet, a managed card is like any card that you receive from a company or government agency, e.g., credit card, driver's license, library card, loyalty card, employee ID card, etc.
How do I download a managed from a website?
Once you have a selector installed, you just click the Information Card download icon at the website. Your selector will download and install the card automatically.
Where can I see some examples?
You can see an example of how to obtain an managed card in our introductory video. Just let the video load, then click the third topic. Then visit our selection of featured Information Card projects.
What type of information typically appears on a managed card?
Unlike personal cards, which contain a relatively standard set of claims (identity attributes), managed cards can contain any information that a website is willing to assert about the cardholder. The variety of information that appears on the cards in your wallet or purse is a good sample.
Could I have a managed card with no data on it at all?
Yes. For example, you might use such a card to prove you are a member of an organization without revealing any of the details of your membership of your personal information - a real privacy advantage.
How many managed cards can I have?
There is no limit. In fact, given that your Information Card "wallet" (your selector) is digital, it is feasible to store many more managed cards than you can fit in a real-world wallet.
Where are my managed cards stored?
Unlike the paper or plastic cards you put in your purse or wallet, with managed cards there is a difference between the card definition file and the data accessible using the card. The card definition file is an XML document that the cardholder downloads from the card provider. This XML is stored alongside the user's personal cards in whatever cardstore their selector uses (local hard driver, portable storage, cloud service, etc.)
The card data, however, remains with the card provider. A copy of that data is sent in a signed security token whenever the user uses that managed card at a relying party website. For more details about how this process works, please see our Information Card Ecosystem white paper.