Americans Too Smart for High-Tech Cards

“Makers of Smart Cards Are Betting Big on U.S.” [Feb. 28] seems to imply that Americans, for once, are technological Neanderthals compared with the Europeans.

Americans simply do not want to use smart cards, those little bits of plastic that embody more than anybody ought to know about your private affairs.

Ironically, it may be because we are all smarter than the cards. We are inundated with news reports of random hackers who can invade and steal from the most secure networks.

What happens if you lose your card? Or if your wallet gets stolen? Do you want all that information floating around in public?

Big Brother is Big Brother, whether it is Big Government or Big Private Enterprise.

MAUDE HAM

Burbank

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* The article failed to mention some of the more interesting developments: Across the country, public transportation agencies have been developing their own smart-card programs.

Swayed by the card’s ability to reduce fraud and the convenience of contactless technology, transit agencies in Washington and Chicago have implemented smart card-based fare payment systems. San Francisco and Seattle are both deploying regional smart-card systems to enable seamless transfers between different transit agencies.

And Ventura County’s transit system has been using smart cards since 1994.

So, if you are looking for smart cards, don’t miss the bus.

HENNING EICHLER

Marina del Rey