Abstract The introduction of new technologies and changes in behaviours has resulted in an erosion of personal contact and greater reliance on security systems and safeguards. The proliferation of independent security measures has generated an increasing amount of security information that must be stored and recalled by the consumer. Overall security can then be weakened as the consumer is inexpert at managing such data and really needs an integrated high security solution that is also easy to use. The multi-application smart card offers a promising solution, however, we may need to challenge some existing practices if we are to empower the citizen in the online world.