The basic idea is that in the event of an Internet catastrophe, the DNSSEC (domain name system security) could be damaged or compromised and we’d be left without a way to verify if a URL is pointing to the correct website. That’s when the holders of these smart cards would be called into action
http://gizmodo.com/5597964/seven-people-have-been-entrusted-with-the-keys-to-the-internet
