Moving Notice

I will be combining my blog with www.globalriskinfo.com.  This blog covers a wider variety of topic, including information security, risk management, as well as privacy.   New posts will still be announced via my Twitter account, so if you follow me on Twitter, you won’t miss a thing.  As an added bonus, you will also [...]

Collective Security and the Payment System

I recently attended an event focused on payment security and fraud prevention.  It was an outstanding event and the presentations and panels were incredibly valuable – not something that I frequently say about payment security events these days.  However, one term came up a couple of times that got me thinking.  That term was “collective [...]

In Memoriam

As another Memorial Day approaches, I’d like to take a moment to honor the men and women that have died in service to their country.  In our hurried world, it’s often easy to lose sight of the meaning of the holiday, and simply take our three day weekend.  It’s important, I think, to remember why [...]

You Are the Weakest Link…

The other day I was reminded how easily my privacy could be compromised by none other than…me.  I had been introducing my two year old to the wonder of the Muppets and the genius of Queen.  Fortunately, this is easily done, as the Muppets have covered “Bohemian Rhapsody.”  We both got a big kick out [...]

Presumption of Guilt & PCI DSS

I saw a story today on (another) data compromise involving cardholder data.  This one involved an online retailer, rather than a processor.  As always when I see these stories, I feel bad for everyone involved – yes even the merchant.  Why do I feel badly for the merchant?  Because there is an instant assumption that [...]

Changes in Attitude: Is technology the only thing changing in Payments?

It’s hard to miss the rapid technological changes that are happening in the payments industry.  Mobile payments seem to dominate the industry websites and publications.  With such attention paid to technology, it’s difficult to remember that the industry is undergoing seismic shifts that have little to do with technology at all.  I’m not going to [...]

Mobile Commerce & Minority Report

“You contain information. I need to know how to get at it.” – John Anderton, Pre-Crime Officer; Minority Report Therein lies the essential question of mobile commerce.  In 2002, a movie called Minority Report hit the box office.  The premise of the movie was that the Pre-Crime unit was able to “see crime” before it happened, [...]

Of Payments, Privacy, and Social Networks

By now, many of you have probably heard about the smartphone app creatively and aptly named “Girls Around Me.” For those that have not heard, it is essentially an application that aggregates the “check in” location data of women using Facebook, foursquare, and other social, location based services.  It then displays for the user the [...]

What the Heck is a Mobile Payment Anyway?

I saw  a statement fro an industry leader today that really peaked my interest.  It got me thinking about something that I’ve been spending a lot of time ruminating about, given the current state of the mobile payment industry.  The statement in question comes from Verifone: “There is no Mobile Commerce without a NFC Phone. [...]

Marrying Technology & Privacy

“The fantastic advances in the field of electronic communication constitute a greater danger to the privacy of the individual.” – Earl Warren, 14th Chief Justice of the United States (1953-1969) Lopez v. United States 373 U.S. 427 (1963) I had a conversation today that drove home one of the essential challenges of many businesses.  That challenge [...]