Cards, from the photo ID and the embossed credit card to the magstripe employee badge, have been used to identify people for decades.

The rapid increase in cases of identity theft and financial fraud, coupled with heightened national security concerns, the explosion of the internet and the demand for electronic devices that meet the needs of today’s increasingly mobile lifestyles, have driven the card industry to develop high security identification devices, such as smart cards, for user identification.

These cards, which contain embedded IC chips and digital biometric features, are used in applications ranging from mobile phones and bankcards to employee badges, national ID documents and loyalty cards.