Re: [privacy] Laptop Stolen From D.C. Home With Personal Data of 13, 000

["Michael Simpson" <mikie.simpson () gmail com>]

a bit off topic but in the days when banks are requiring more info to prove
id and we have become a chip and pin nation i have an observation to share.

tesco have introduced a self-service style checkout in their stores. this
allows you to pay with a debit card after you have scanned your goods, there
is no request for your pin - you just swipe the card and go. If the amount
of goods is >£100 then you have to sign a slip of paper in front of a staff
member to "prove" who you are, if <£100 then you just go on your way.

all i have to do is limit myself to £99.99 worth of goods and i have no need
to remember any of those pesky 4 digit numbers and anybody's card will do
(as long as they have the ca$h in their account)

anyhoo, nice to see one major company are heading in the opposite direction
to everyone else with regards to the thorny issue of proof of identity



On 6/19/06, David Lodge <dave () cirt net> wrote:
> On Mon, 19 Jun 2006 20:28:15 +0200, Drsolly <drsollyp () drsolly com > wrote:
> >>  Sounds like you're not really a fan of the National ID cards.  I'm not
> >> either, for numerous reasons.
> > That's correct. When I'm asked to provide identification, I offer my
> > library card, which contains nothing except my name and signature, but
> is
> > very nicely laminated.
>
> First off: we sort of have an SSN equivalent: the NI Number - though it's
> a lot more transient than the SSN (you can have a temporary one for years
> and it can change quite easily).
>
> Second: What we've also got to be careful of is that the ID Card is
> pushing the whole concept of proving who you real are, rather than
> providing authorisation/authentication for what you want to do.
>
> Banks have recently started to ask for passport or driving licence for any
> major transaction - why? I certainly didn't use a passport or driving
> licence when I opened my account (I didn't have either) - how do they know
>
> that that is me, not just somebody with the same name?
>
> Even more stupid: under the nebulous threat of money laundering, most
> financial companies are requiring photo IDs for exchanging money for
> foreign money, but you can just take it out of the ATM with no hassles?
>
> It's stupid: why should I have to prove my real name? It is not illegal to
> have more than one name. Why can't the government's/industries efforts on
> "Identity Theft" be concentrated, not on some pointless cataloguing of
> every individual, but on known good ways of authenticating a person to a
> service.
>
> dave
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