Using smart cards in electronic commerce

Smart cards have been in use for over two decades, mainly for storing small amounts of money. People carry them to pay for telephone calls, transportation, photocopying in libraries and the like. These cards have become very popular in Europe and Asia. Recently, the use of smart cards has expanded considerably. For example, in several countries, smart cards are used as identification cards which include information ranging from health status and insurance to retirement benefits. The latest development in smart card technology is its Internet-related applications, which are mostly related to the support of payment systems and security.