Cashless payment bracelet allows access to medical records, personal informationby: Jonathan Benson
Marketed as a simple and convenient way to carry identification, make payments, and furnish quick and easy access to medical records in the event of an emergency -- all with one single bracelet. But the VITAband also has the potential to become a serious invasion of privacy as it allows third parties to access personal data and other information, all of which is linked to a users individual ID tag.
If the US government suspects you might be a "terrorist," it already has the ability to access and monitor, in real time, your credit and debit card transactions as they occur, as well as listen in on your landline and mobile phone calls. But if you tie your personal medical records and other information directly to your credit card use through VITAband, imagine just how much more exposed your personal information will be.
Back in July, US Bank announced that it had adopted the VITAband for its customers. The company first tested it on employees from multiple states earlier in the year, and eventually unveiled it for everyone. Each bracelet contains a special chip linked directly to a user's account, as well as a unique ID number that can be traced back to that user's personal and medical history (
http://www.contactlessnews.com/2011/07/18/u-s-bank-launches-wristband-for-contactless-payments-health-records).
VITAband users are free to decide for themselves what, and how much, information they wish to upload in association with their bracelet. All medical information uploaded into the system is handled by Microsoft's HealthVault, a system that compiles health records from many sources into one, single source. This data aggregation, of course, makes it much simpler for the government to spy on citizens personal information (
http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=113&t=22981).
Vita Products, Inc., the creator of the VITAband, claims it has implemented certain safeguards to protect users information from being improperly accessed or used. While this may be reassuring as it pertains to private third parties, it is meaningless when the government gets involved, as the potential for possible terrorist activity is all Big Brother needs to justify invading someone's personal privacy.
The FAQ section for VITAband is also quite telling. It explains that even though certain safety measures have been established, "no technical measures are guaranteed to prevent unauthorized access, use, or disclosure of your User Information, and VITA makes no such guarantees."
Sources for this article include:https://vitaband.net/homehttp://www.contactlessnews.com/2011/07/18/u-s-bank-launches-wristband-for-contactless-payments-health-records
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
