Re: Anonymous payment scheme

[frissell@panix.com (Duncan Frissell)]

At 07:42 AM 1/3/95 -0800, bmorris@netcom.com wrote:
>With a debit card you can't be anonymous, because your money resides in
>the bank.  With digital cash, and the ability to transfer money to
>another digital cash card via phone lines, I don't see how they can
>successfully trace everything.  They will try, no doubt.

Unless you open a bank account in a nome de guerre.  In the Inter-mountain
West and in small towns elsewhere, it is often possible even today to open a
bank account with "soft ID."  Such ID would include employment ID and
student ID.  Since anyone can be an employer or a school, anyone can issue
such soft ID.

These items work very well if backed up with a secured VISA card from one of
the many issuers.  Some of the issuers of secure credit cards want
references but many will issue their cards if your name comes up as having
no credit record.  Made up people are the most likely to have no credit history.

Even though a VISA card is not meant to be ID, most people (even state DMV
offices) treat it as ID.

DCF

*************************************************************************
ATMs, Contracting Out,  Digital Switching, Downsizing, EDI, Fax, Fedex,
Home Workers, Internet, Just In Time, Leasing, Mail Receiving, Phone 
Cards, Quants, Securitization, Temping, Voice Mail.