Buying over the Internet, debit transactions, long-distance credit card purchases -- society is rapidly moving in the direction of mass electronic commerce.  "Smart cards," or the plastic cards that resemble standard credit cards but contain a wealth of information embedded on tiny microprocessors, are a big component of electronic commerce. IBM is in the forefront of developing smart card technology and standards that will help make this technology a universal medium for storing and transferring all kinds of information. To find our more about IBM's smart cart work, check out how it works.