• myHome
  • mySelf
  • myBobLog
    • myNews
    • B.O.B.s
    • myZine
      • myCulture
        • Jazz Music
        • Boomerism
        • Creative Learning Solutions
        • The great human transition of the twentieth century
      • myLifestyle
      • myTech
        • Technojungle
      • myWhys
    • Uncategorized
  • myProjects & myHobbies
    • myWriting
    • myPhotography
      • myPhotology
    • myMusic
      • Jazz Music
    • …More
      • It’s a hairolding experience
  • myPlaces
    • PhotoBlog by Bob
    • Feature Photos by Bob
    • The Technojungle Project
    • The Jazz Band Web
    • The Deep Cove Jazz Band

myBobLog

~ I'm Bob and this is my Blog & more

myBobLog

Tag Archives: fingerprint

Chip cards, digital signatures — more secure?

25 Tuesday Jan 2011

Posted by Bob in myWhys

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

acceptance, accounted, adopted, angle, authentic, banking, bursting, business, buttons, cashier, charges, chip, chip cards, compromised, controlled, convenience, converting, convinced, credit, digital, digitized, dummy, electronic, exchanges, exercise, expire, eye, face-to-face, failure, financial, fingerprint, guards, hand, hectic, idea, instructions, iris, keypads, left-handed, lifestyle, lives, logic, machine, mastercard, monetary, name, online, opt, pads, paper, people, personal, phone, pin, plastic, questions, recognition, safer, school, screen, scribbled, secret, secure, sign, signature, society, stealing, stolen, stores, systems, technologies, terminated, test, ubiquitous, version, wallet, write, writing, written

A few years ago, I began to hear about the new secure chip technologies. They were coming soon. Just like with online banking and other online monetary exchanges, I could not for the life of me see how they could be secure. I vowed, with online banking, that I would never submit to the activities. I did the same with the idea of using chip cards.

It is turning out to be an interesting exercise to watch how these new technologies are adopted and become ubiquitous in our lives and society. It is like we are being controlled—that we can be convinced to do almost anything. Was it the extra charges for using personal, face-to-face banking or simply the convenience in our ever growing hectic lifestyle that has swayed us into acceptance? Online financial activities are so common now that hardly anybody questions the security aspects. Why don’t we hear more about the problems with electronic financial exchanges?

So, what about chip cards? I wanted to hold off as long as possible, but, credit cards are a different ball game than something like changing the way you do something. Credit cards expire and then you have no choice. But wait, some were too eager to get me using the new chip technology.

One day, I received a phone call from MasterCard stating that my card number, a number I had for about 35 years, was within a range of numbers that they said “might have been compromised.” They had simply gone ahead and terminated my card. I had to cut up the card and I would receive a new one within two weeks. What was I to do in the meantime, I asked? No card! And, you guessed it, the new card was a chip card. I used it for a few weeks and then it expired and I got a new one. Go figure!

So, I had a PIN number to look after now. The first time I used the card, I must have seemed like a dummy. “What, I don’t have to sign? What is safer about that?”, I asked. Soon, I learned that usage at stores can vary. I hand my card over and the cashier (?) hands me back a machine with my card sticking out of it. Careful, misreading the tiny screen and it’s instructions can result in failure and a waist of more time.

Some stores don’t even utilize the technology and opt for a digital signature pad. Now, I am a south paw (lefty) and it is really difficult for me to sign one of these pads, especially when the placement of the pad never accounted for the angle at which most left-handed people write. Absolutely anyone could sign my name better than I do. Slowly, I am starting to develop a new version of my signature, one for use on a digital signature pad. Of course, there are some stores still doing it the old fashioned way, with a slip of paper. I still worry that my digital signature, now scribbled and digitized many times into many systems, might get stolen one day. Does my digital signature get saved somewhere?

Today, my wallet is bursting with chip cards, credit cards, bank cards, and I have a new problem that I think about nearly every time I use one of the cards. What is the PIN number for this one? Unlike some people, I have opted to use a different PIN for each card. My logic tells me that if someone gets my wallet and my PIN, they will have it all, that is, if I have changed all the PIN numbers to be the same code. Thus, I have the numbers kept in a secret place that I have to check before I use the card. But, what if somebody finds my list? Then they will have it all anyway. Stealing a PIN does not seem that difficult, since the keypads are used out in the open with no plastic guards, or anything to stop somebody from seeing what buttons you press. Am I to cup my hand over the keypad like we used to do when we wanted to hide something we were writing in school, like a test?

Isn’t a hand written signature on paper more secure? More authentic? I am always wondering if there is another way. What about fingerprint? Then someone would need to steal both my card and my finger. What about iris recognition? They would have to get my eye too.

I think chip cards are better for the stores than a slip of paper. They certainly do not seem better for me.

There is much more to this business of converting to using chips. See — http://www.spychips.com/ and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrITx7_tTT0 and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spychips

Share this:

  • Share
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Tumblr
  • Email
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

Preamble

I have many interesting activities in my life—so many that I have neglected my blogs. Since myBobLog is my original and first blog, it is here that I endeavor to begin my blogging journey once again. I start now with a new theme.

In the hopefully near future, I want to write about a project of growing my hair to donate to cancer patients. I have a fundraising page that I will link to. I also need to write about my return to playing music with my cornet and how had a dream come true by acquiring a particular cornet. I also need to write about the two jazz bands I run. In fact, I have begun websites for them too, so there lies more blogging activities.

My next move will likely be to take a peek at my Technojungle Project. I suppose I have been blaming my blogging neglect on the writing of my upcoming book, however, music has also been a strong draw away. I have even postponed work on my photography.

Don't worry about the details of all these projects and activities. I will make sure the mud settles as soon as I get a better handle on how I want to set up things here on this blog to start with.

It will take some time, so stay tuned and be patient.

Topics

  • B.O.B.s
  • myBooks
    • Technojungle
  • myFocalBlogs
    • Boomerism
    • Creative Learning Solutions
  • myZine
    • myCulture
      • Jazz Music
      • The great human transition of the twentieth century
    • myHows
    • myLifestyle
    • myNews
    • myPhotology
    • myTech
    • myWhys
  • Uncategorized

Features

  • myBobLog
  • myHome
  • myMusic
  • myNews
  • myPhotography
  • MyPlaces
  • myProjects & myHobbies
    • It’s a hairolding experience
  • mySelf
  • myWriting

Blogroll

  • WordPress.com
  • WordPress.org

myBlogs

  • Feature Photography by Bob Grahame A gallery of my most compelling photography
  • PhotoBlog by Bob A blog of photography by Bob Grahame
  • The Technojungle Project A blog about one of my writing projects mostly to support work on my upcoming book.

mySocial Media

  • Facebook myFacebook
  • Flickr myFlickr account with some photos from my iPhone.
  • Google My Google profile
  • LinnkedIn myLinkedIn page

More

Follow myBobLog on WordPress.com

Admin

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Find

Blog at WordPress.com.

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
%d bloggers like this: