leela8
03-26-2010, 08:21 PM
So I'm not entirely paranoid, but when I received my new credit card in tha mail recently, they proudly told me it had "BLINK" so that I could
"save time at checkout." Apparently all that swiping is just too time-consuming.
Anyhow, I don't love the idea that something could go awry, or a reader be poorly placed by a merchant, and my card could be read right from my wallet, maybe for someone else's purchase. When I looked it up, there was also some concern that readers may cause interference with one another if placed too close together and increase the scanning distance from the normal 4 inches to 30 or so feet.
I won't write an essay on possible concerns here, but instead take a moment to alert those who might feel uncomfortable with this tech that the cc company was totally cooperative in sending me a replacement card without the chip. (Be aware, though, US passports are starting to have chips now, and I read years ago that plans for a compulsory RFID national identity card were in the works.)
A simple barrier for any RFID chip is apparently to act like TIn Foil Hat Lady and wrap it in metal. One person online suggested making little barrier cards by laminating tin foil with tape and slipping them between the cards in your wallet. I felt it was important to let the cc company know I didn't want Blink by ordering a chip-free card, rather than just disabling it.
It's becoming ever more evident that one thing that divides my generation from younger ones is the concept of privacy....
"save time at checkout." Apparently all that swiping is just too time-consuming.
Anyhow, I don't love the idea that something could go awry, or a reader be poorly placed by a merchant, and my card could be read right from my wallet, maybe for someone else's purchase. When I looked it up, there was also some concern that readers may cause interference with one another if placed too close together and increase the scanning distance from the normal 4 inches to 30 or so feet.
I won't write an essay on possible concerns here, but instead take a moment to alert those who might feel uncomfortable with this tech that the cc company was totally cooperative in sending me a replacement card without the chip. (Be aware, though, US passports are starting to have chips now, and I read years ago that plans for a compulsory RFID national identity card were in the works.)
A simple barrier for any RFID chip is apparently to act like TIn Foil Hat Lady and wrap it in metal. One person online suggested making little barrier cards by laminating tin foil with tape and slipping them between the cards in your wallet. I felt it was important to let the cc company know I didn't want Blink by ordering a chip-free card, rather than just disabling it.
It's becoming ever more evident that one thing that divides my generation from younger ones is the concept of privacy....