> What are the prospects for smartcard based systems within the U.S.? Such
> cards are essentially nonexistent in commerce. Apparently in Europe and
> Asia they are widely used, though, instead of the credit cards preferred
> by Americans.
semi-smart cards are in wide use over here. unfortunately, they have two
major shortcomings: they are pretty dumb, often containing only a couple
of bytes of information, and they are always very specific. I have three
of them in my wallet at this time. it would be much more convenient to
have just one. as far as I am aware, none of them stores more than maybe
one or two hundred bytes of information.
> Are there other applications where the Chaum and Brands smartcard patents
> could play a role in the U.S. within the next decade?
there is a relatively new area here where it would be interesting. the
"geldkarte" is basically your bank's smartcard that you can "load" with
money. shops that are equipped with the necessary technology can then
withdraw from there. something like digitized cash. to be honest, I
can't think of a single reason to use this crap, since "loading" the
card involves interaction with an atm, at which point I could just as
well get real cash. on the other hand, usage is less convenient (shop
must have special hardware) and I would bet my hamster that they track
like mad.
an anonymous cash-card might, however, be an interesting alternative to
carrying large stacks of paper with you for larger transactions like
buying a car or furniture.
