What is so smart about smart cards?

The following pages are taken from a document entitled What's so smart about smart cards which was produced by The Smart Card Forum (now part of The Smart Card Alliance) and Gemalto (ex Gemplus).

"We hope that you find this short overview on the smart card world educational and informative. Since the Smart Card Forum was founded in 1993, the application of smart card systems within North America has expanded and now, at the verge of the new millennium, we see exciting possibilities for these systems. The Internet has created enormous opportunities while it has also created privacy and security challenges. We see smart card systems enabling privacy and security in this virtual world and as a linchpin in creating increased high-assurance business to business commerce. We expect you will find this brochure informative and hope you will take advantage of the varied Smart Card Forum educational programs, workgroups, conferences, and research materials in enabling privacy and security in your businesses."