Every time you swipe your credit card and wait for the transaction to be approved, sensitive data including your name and account number are ferried from store to bank through computer networks, each step a potential opening for hackers.
And while you may take steps to protect yourself against identity theft, an Associated Press investigation has found the banks and other companies that handle your information are not being nearly as cautious as they could.
Sounds really, really bad. And it would be, if this were all there is to it. If you read more into the article, there are these two bits of information:
The government leaves it to card companies to design security rules that protect the nation's 50 billion annual transactions... [emphasis added]
and...
...If hackers intercept your numbers, you'll spend weeks straightening your mangled credit, though you can't be held liable for unauthorized charges. [emphasis added]
So to sum up, chances are your info will not be intercepted simply because your transactions are like mere molecules in a vast ocean of transactions, and other than damage to your credit should your identity be stolen (which is more likely to happen due to lost or stolen mail rather than something this high tech), you don't have to pay for unauthorized charges made to your account.
So what's the point of this article? It's propaganda, probably for this:
They want you scared so you'll accept greater control over your life.
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