Re: [tlug] eggs in the cellphone basket (was: Stop the FUD! here are some facts on the DMCA)

[Joe Larabell <fred62@???>]

On Thu, 10 Aug 2006, Josh Glover wrote:

> On 10/08/06, Evan Monroig <evan.monroig@example.com> wrote:
>
> > Speaking of putting a lot of eggs in the same basket for the case of
> > keitai, it seems that this is the general tendency in Japan. AFAIK, all
> > three major cellphone operators have their own suica-in-keitai option,
> > and some Keitai can now even be used as debit cards (prepayed I guess).
>
> Isn't the debit card option just the SUICA chip?

The chip is called FeliCa. It's used in both Edy and Suica cards.

  http://www.sony.net/Products/felica/

I believe you can already get credit card capability in a FeliCa-based
product. I have seen ads for Mitsui-Sumitomo that seem to imply I could
hook a Suica keitai to my bank account too.

As for eggs in a basket, though, most people carry all their cards in one
wallet anyway -- the loss of which is usually a catastrophic event. I'm
not sure the keitai is any more of a risk. What I'd be concerned about is
the tracking capability. When I buy something with a credit card, I don't
usually have to show the vendor anything more than the card itself. While
I have no concrete information that FeliCa is any different, there is
no technical reason keeping the system s/w folks from writing POS firmware
that scans far more information that what would be needed to make the
purchase.

The other worrisome thing is that Sony is behind FeliCa. We all know how
responsible Sony is when it comes to individual privacy. It would be nice
if more details were available about what information is retained and how
it can/cannot be accessed.

---
Joseph L (Joe) Larabell            Never fight with a dragon
http://larabell.org                     for thou art crunchy
                                  and goest well with cheese.