Originally published February 26 2006
Analyst says that innovations will never displace credit cards
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Bruce Schneier of Wired News looks closely at credit cards and the long line of failed security proposals that would have allowed consumers a single form of identification.
I don't know about your wallet, but mine contains a driver's license, three credit cards, two bank ATM cards, frequent-flier cards for three airlines and frequent-guest cards for three hotel chains, memberships cards to two airline clubs, a library card, a AAA card, a Costco membership, and a bunch of other ID-type cards.
Any technologist who looks at the pile would reasonably ask: why all those cards?
Why does Visa bother issuing credit cards in the first place?
Your bank could just use your driver's license number as an account number.
Security Matters columnist Bruce Schneier Security Matters The same with those airline, hotel and rental car affinity cards.
Or any of the discount cards given out by supermarkets, office supply stores, hardware stores and -- it seems -- everyone else.
A single, centralized authentication system has long been the dream of many technologists.
And today the most far-reaching proposals for national ID cards -- including a recent South African proposal -- envision a world where a single ID would be used for everything.
And neither will a world of biometrics.
But the truth is, neither a national ID nor a biometric system will ever replace the decks of plastic and paper that crowd our wallets.
For starters, the uniqueness of the cards provides important security to the issuers.
Everyone has different rules for card issuance, expiration and revocation, and everyone wants to be in control of their own cards.
If you lose control, you lose security.
So airline clubs ask for a photo ID with your membership card, and merchants want to see it when you use your credit card, but neither will replace their cards with that photo ID.
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