Hotels Sick Of Keycard Data Rumors, Looking For Alternatives
from the the-rumor-that-wouldn't-die dept
Remember the rumor about hotel keycards storing all sorts of data, such as your credit card info? It's the story that wouldn't die. Despite being called a hoax over and over again by a variety of sources, it popped up again a couple months ago in a Computerworld blog. Now, the NY Times has picked up on the story and says that hotels are so sick of answering questions about this that they're actively looking for alternatives to hotel keycards. Two other interesting tidbits in the article. The author of the Computerworld blog post, Robert Mitchell, who commented on our last post defending his original posting, is apparently collecting keycards from a variety of hotels and will try to prove that the data is on those cards. However, his original source will no longer talk to him and refused to discuss the matter with the NY Times reporter, claiming that the story had hurt his business. This is strange. If he's confident that he's right, then a simple demonstration would clear up any questions, make him a hero, shut up the doubters, and (you would think) help his business. It is possible, of course, that the key cards do contain the data, though it's unclear why that would ever make sense. Also, by now, given all the hype on this topic, you would hope that any hotel or keycard maker would have ditched such cards by now if they really did exist. Either way, we await Mitchell's eventual findings.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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high tech answer
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Wow, you are the swift one this morning. Bravo.
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No Subject Given
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No key, No card
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Re: No key, No card
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Re: No key, No card
A finger scan would require an actual network connection to each door lock and a method of keeping that network (the cables even) secure so that they could not be tampered with and compromised. An unsecure system could potentially give anyone with a laptop computer access to every room in the hotel.
Although the idea has merit and I would love to see stuff like that done...
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Re: No key, No card
somone I don't want registered at the front desk?
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Re: No key, No card
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Biometrics
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keycard information
I should know. I am the director of programming.
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Re: keycard information
Why don't you contact Mr. Mitchell? Open your doors to his "research".
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Finger scanners ?
With a credit card, you just cancel the transaction and get a different card number. But if bio-identification is compromised, you cannot change your fingerprint, DNA, or Iris mapping. Once you get scammed, you will have problems dealing with financial transactions and government agencies for the rest of your life.
Technology may not exist AT THIS MOMENT to use stolen bio-ID, but in the near future it most certainly WILL exist.
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Re: Finger scanners ?
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Re: Finger scanners ?
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Because NO ONE has EVER cracked encryption or reverse-engineered hashing algorithms. Idiot.
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Re: Finger scanners ?
Amen. I hate the mere idea of biometrics. It stinks of big brother and every distopian movie I've ever seen. Just because a few freaks don't understand card technology doesn't mean the rest of us sane folks should suffer slippery slopes. Hotels, keep your cards for god's sake and just blacklist idiots that don't like em.
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No and No
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this is silly...
sensitive data is NOT stored on keycards.
those tinfoil-hat wearing morons who are convinced otherwise should just stop staying in hotels
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Universal Key Card
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