AIDC, or Automatic Identification and Data Capture, is a technology used for identification and validation without a keyboard. Examples include credit cards, smart cards, employee ID cards, and barcodes. RFID tags are the next generation of barcodes and are becoming increasingly popular.
AIDC stands for Automatic Identification and Data Capture. It is one of the most widespread technologies on the planet. It’s so prevalent, in fact, that you don’t even realize you’re using it half a dozen times a day.
Specifically, AIDC is the collection of data into a device for identification and validation purposes without the use of a keyboard. Examples of this kind of functionality are everywhere. Every time you swipe your credit card, you allow the swiper to AIDC your card. Remember that next time you use your credit card to buy gas, groceries, coffee, or any of the many things that can be purchased with credit these days. These cards have magnetic strips that contain user information that can be accessed via swipe.
Speaking of groceries and coffee, one technology that is all the rage these days is the smart card. This card can be “loaded” with a certain amount of money. Each time you swipe the card, the swiper computer subtracts the amount due for the current transaction from the card balance. When your balance reaches 0, it’s time to “top up”. Cafes, grocery stores, and other types of retail outlets offer this type of smart card to their customers.
AIDC isn’t just for credit cards or magnetic stripe smart cards. Many companies issue employee nametags or ID cards that contain magnetic strips that allow employees to enter or exit the building’s security system. The information contained on such ID cards is usually just the employee’s name, but it can also include more personal information.
You may also have a specific card for a place where you shop. Many grocery stores and bookstores have their own cards, which give wearers relative discounts just for being a “member.” Like employee ID cards, these cards use AIDC to identify you and calculate the appropriate “member discount” for selected items.
Another example of AIDC is barcodes. Most foods nowadays come with stickers attached. These stickers have UPC codes, barcodes, or both. A scanner at the grocery store checkout accesses the information stored on each food’s barcode and then processes that information to establish a price.
If the grocery store has done their homework, each scan of the barcode will result in a matching price. It’s not just used in grocery stores, either. Most retailers nowadays place barcode tags on their inventory and use barcode scanners to drive up prices at the checkout.
An example of AIDC that is all the rage in certain circles these days is the RFID tag. RFID, or Radio Frequency Identification, tags are the next generation of barcodes. Instead of a static barcode signal, however, an RFID tag contains a radio frequency that can be read, like a barcode, with a special type of reader. RFID tags are becoming increasingly popular in modern society. A particularly current example is that of a Chinese company that uses tags to trace chickens and other birds susceptible to bird flu. There has been a specific debate about using tags to identify people through AIDC.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
