Matt Brubeck ([info]mbrubeck) wrote,
@ 2009-04-30 20:05:00
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Entry tags:bus, privacy, seattle, security, washington

ORCA privacy options
I just got an ORCA card, the new stored-value card for our local transit agencies. Now instead of getting a new card each month, I can just go online to renew my ORCA pass. I can also check the current status and transaction history online, and set up a monthly auto-payment plan. But that also means that there's an electronic record of all my trips, associated with my name and address.

ORCA offers both "registered" and "unregistered" cards. Unregistered cards (they claim) are not associated with any identifying information. This means they are potentially more private, but they also have fewer features. If you lose a registered card, you can deactivate it online and get a new card for the same account. Unregistered cards are like cash; if you lose one then you lose any balance associated with it. And registration is required for monthly payment plans and other online account management.

I got a registered card, since the balance protection seemed worthwhile. I don't value my privacy that much, and anyway I'm not confident that the unregistered cards are really that much more private. (Several of ACLU-WA's privacy concerns apply to unregistered cards too.) Mostly I thought it was interesting that they make the trade-offs explicit, and offer customers a choice. Also, I think that just knowing that I could get an anonymous card made me feel better about ordering a registered one. Another version of the see salad order fries effect?


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[info]triath
2009-05-01 03:25 am UTC (link)
That is pretty cool.

In Taiwan I saw an art exhibit where you could scan your Japanese* subway card and the program would analyze your trips. The Japanese cards use RFID and log every trip, not just the last N like the Taiwanese cards. Then the art exhibit would display pictures of where you've been while telling you creepy things. "I see you live at X stop, and work at Y stop. You visit Z stop on Saturdays, isn't the farmer's market there great?" Totally creepy.

* Yes, Japanese. It was an international art exhibit and they had sample cards that you could use for the art.

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[info]camlost
2009-05-01 05:19 am UTC (link)
This is pretty much the same as the oyster cards in London.

Of course, if you "top up" with a credit card, they can associate the accounts that way. And even if you use coins, they can problem at least get a picture by correlating the data in the CCTV with the RFID logs (given enough trips).

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[info]dclayh
2009-05-01 06:54 am UTC (link)
I feel the same way: as a matter of principle I vigorously support privacy rights, but personally I don't really feel like I have anything to hide (well, modulo a certain few online activities).

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[info]miyabo
2009-05-01 06:30 pm UTC (link)
In Minneapolis we have a similar system. The transit agency does not publicize the fact that you can get an unregistered card, but they are available if you buy your card from any convenience store and just never register it.

The transit agency here spent an immense amount of money installing the hardware for the system, which then didn't work for nearly two years due to software problems. There was a confusing time in there when you could transfer from a bus to a train, but not from a train to a bus. I wouldn't necessarily expect a smooth rollout in Seattle.

The update mechanism is kind of cool. Cards themselves store their current value. When you update your card value online, the change is sent to all readers via a cell network (in a batch update every 24 hours). That way you can still pay for travel when the cell network is down, though updates won't happen. However, if you update your balance online and then do not use your card for more than 2 weeks, the system will forget about your update.

The RFID hardware used in most places is called "MiFare." Development kits are inexpensive, and I know some people have been able to hack them to add value to their own cards.

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