Fool Proof

I saw an ad for a new kind of wallet. Apparently it is lined with something that blocks RFID signals, which is supposed to keep your digitized personal info that’s stored on the tiny chips in your credit cards and driver’s license safe from criminals seeking to steal your identity.

How far we have come.

Some reading this might recall, back in the day, when there was a space to put your account number in the return address of the envelope to your utility or credit card company. My first driver’s license number was my Social Security number. It hasn’t been all that many years since credit card account numbers were not  x-ed out on receipts except for the last four digits as they are now.

See, here’s what happens. Something good is invented. As long as the society that it is introduced to remains a basically trusting society, everyone operating on the honor system and all, the possibility of evil intent or criminal activity is rarely immediately considered. As the fabric of society unravels, largely because evil is constantly working its way into the weave, new awareness of how evil works and therefore must be circumvented or thwarted becomes its own source of new inventions. 

Security, safety, protection, becomes its own industry.

But here’s the other thing that happens. At some point, in the war of measure/counter-measure it becomes obvious that there is no way to thwart evil. I could cite all manner of examples. The war on drugs comes to mind instantly. How’s that worked out? Billions, maybe trillions of dollars invested in ways to keep deadly drugs off our streets and out of the hands of our vulnerable youth and what we have to show for it is a prosperous multi-billion dollar illegal drug industry and a multi-billion dollar industry pretending to find ways to stop it. 

Not going to happen. Tough to imagine that it could likely get worse though.

Getting back to the RFID chip with all our personal information being so easily accessed, even as we innocently walk through a mall, let’s consider (predict) the next step. Keeping it real, there’s always a next step in the war waged on a trusting society. And isn’t that the point? There is no end to counter measure. Evil sees the newest thing and figures out ways around it. We ought to be smart and expect this now.

That leaves us with a very startling reality. The chip - the bio metric one they have been developing to plant in our hand, is already obsolete and they haven’t even gotten it fully off the ground yet. The counter-measures already exist that can steal the info as you saunter up to the cash register to wave your hand over the info reader. 

You can’t stay ahead of the criminal mind but you can choose to be savvy enough to stay ahead of those who smile and offer up new things that are supposed to be fool-proof. 

So you won't be fooled.

For Him,

Meema

Proverbs 14:16 - A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is arrogant and careless.