New technology that protect our identity
By kingparker
@kingparker (9673)
United States
June 9, 2011 7:52pm CST
That is what I had found out a couple days ago, and it is brand new concept and technology. Please go check it out on squareup.com, it offer a brand new concept on shopping without bring your credit card, or debit card. It is all experimental, and it has been using in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco, etc....... You sign up with your credit cards with SQUARE, and you go shop at their selective stores. When go in those selective stores, all you need to do just tell your full name, and they pull up your information on their computer screen, plus your photo submitted in their info, they do comparison whether it is you or not. Once they confirm your identity, you simply take your items walk out the store, because the charge will be go to your square account. It is like "put it in my tab" kind of service; cool, isn't it? Also, the invoice or receipt also mailed to your blackberry phone or iPhone, and also to your email. What do you think of it?
3 responses
@owlwings (43897)
• Cambridge, England
10 Jun 11
What you describe is NOT what is shown on the website. See below!
The system you describe sounds rather unsafe and open to fraud. Evidence of identification would rest completely with the cashier at point of sale (and the cashier and a thief could very easily collude to steal goods and money). A far simpler and more secure method is the chip-and-pin technology which, I gather, has yet to be implemented widely in the US.
The business model behind the concept you give details about is plainly very like those shopping sites which give discount or award 'points' for shopping with selected stores. In other words, in return for the business generated by the scheme, the stores on its list are prepared to allow a discount on the actual price charged to the customer. On some sites, part of this discount is passed on to the customer in various ways.
I visited the website you mentioned - http://squareup.com/ - and find that it is not at all what you describe. In fact, it is a method whereby people (mainly small retailers) can accept credit/debit card payments via their mobile phone. In other words, it is NOT a system which abolishes the carrying of credit cards. It is a system which is designed to replace the rather expensive machines provided by card companies for accepting payments by card. I am doubtful whether it would prove cheaper for many people to accept payments this way because the charge of "2.75% per swipe for any card" is actually rather expensive (that charge is, of course, paid by the retailer, not by the customer, but would inevitably be passed on in some way to the customer).
@frontvisions101 (16043)
• Philippines
10 Jun 11
Wow. Although this is something that could get worse. I mean, a credit card can do considerable damage to one's budget, what's more if it's something they can't leave at home?
