CASPIAN (Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion And Numbering) recently met with American Express to discuss the creditor's plans to track people through the use of RFID chips.
RFID's been a big issue in privacy circles over the past few years; the big fear is that everyone will have a chip implanted so that their movements might be tracked. That might sound paranoid, but considering how many people carry credit cards, the idea of a RFID "implanted" in your wallet or purse isn't so far-fetched.
Two things that strike me about this: 1.) Amex was almost certainly planning to track for the purposes of commerce: how many people go to which stores, whether or not they use their Amex card in that store, etc. This is not quite the same as the Government tracking our movements or putting locator chips in our cars like they've talked about in Britain. 2.) When confronted about this, Amex has promised to include a notice and consent before giving any consumer a RFID-enabled card, and they'll offer a chip-free version to custromers who request it.
Compare that to some RFID scheme the government might initiate; they're surely not going to ask for your consent before doing it, and they aren't going to let you out of the program just because you object.
You can find out more about RFID issues at CASPIAN's site: http://www.nocards.org/. Also, check out Sypchips, the book about all of this:http://www.spychips.com/.
Ultimately, I think we should reject this technology. Even if it seems harmless, we shouldn't be compliant about privacy issues. Even if it's just your credit card company doing market research for now, someday soon it'll be a tool for government agencies to track our movements. Let's not go down that road. If your creditor starts issuing RFID-enabled cards, let them know you don't like it and request a chipless card.
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