i just read about the next thing in credit cards: contactless credit cards. and there are already ways for miscreants to make trouble for you with them.
the cards are wireless (radio-frequency-identification technology -- RFID) and i'm not that sure of the advantage: instead of swiping your card through a reader, you just wave it in front of it. time-saving? hmm, nope. physical energy saving? nope, again. what then? well, i'm not sure...
it turns out that with a scanner, nefarious individuals can read the embedded information about us, our accounts, and whatever else is on the chip. there's no way to put a lock on the info -- no door with key, no closing of curtains, no chastity belt -- the data is right out front for anyone to abscond with.
the technology has been in use for a number of years for such things as id badges, electronic passes, plastic tags on clothing, id tags placed under pets' skin, books etc at libraries, and inventory tracking.
ok, ok, you just have to have your contactless card? well, then, the secret to blocking the inadvertent sharing of info is to keep your card in a protective sleeve -- one you can buy or one you can make: take a piece of aluminum foil, wrap it artistically and securely around the card, insert it in your wallet. works on the same concept as wearing the aluminum hat to keep out alien mind-reading beams.
just the same, i'm not sure that type of card is really necessary.
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