From hughes@toad.com Sun Aug 22 20:06:38 1993 To: plmoses@unix.cc.emory.edu (Paul L. Moses) Subject: [plmoses@unix.cc.emory.edu (Paul L. Moses): Digicash....I think] Date: Sun, 22 Aug 93 17:06:29 -0700 From: hughes@toad.com
Mail to owner-cypherpunks goes to the bounce box, where it gets looked at occasionally. Mail to cypherpunks@toad.com to send to the whole list.
Eric
------- Forwarded Message
Return-Path: plmoses@unix.cc.emory.edu Received: from emoryu1.cc.emory.edu ([128.140.1.1]) by toad.com id AA06687; Fri, 20 Aug 93 19:36:07 PDT Received: by emoryu1.cc.emory.edu (5.65/Emory_cc.3.4.6) via MAILPROG id AA19400 ; Fri, 20 Aug 93 23:49:26 -0400 Return-Path: plmoses@unix.cc.emory.edu Date: Fri, 20 Aug 93 23:49:26 -0400 From: plmoses@unix.cc.emory.edu (Paul L. Moses) Message-Id: <9308210349.AA19400@emoryu1.cc.emory.edu> To: owner-cypherpunks@toad.com Subject: Digicash....I think
I hesitate to mention this, since I have *NO* idea of any of the mathematics behind the digicash articles you all have mention....BUT...
I was out running errands today and used my ATM card for a cash purchase. This led me to think, aha, I could simply get this card "charged" every so often with another denomination ($20, $50, $200, $2000, whatever) and go around spending my money without the Store having to phone in the transaction. This raises a couple of thought in my mind, namely 1) Reverse the function of current ATM units, ie use them to "charge" (as in, activate, add money to) the BANK CARD, rather than the opposite that we do now... 2) Find some way to ensure that the card itself does not contain an identifier, so that the user is not recorded during the transaction. 3) The card then becomes a bearer instrument of sorts. No big deal; IT'S JUST LIKE MONEY. People have to be careful with money, so they ought to be careful with these things too. You could still probably use PIN #s (personal code), since they're pretty generic and can be selected and changed by the end user himself....whoops no, on second thought, not unless the user can encode the PIN himself. Hmm. I dunno. PIN could be OK as long as it was never recorded in the transaction, but there's the danger of the transaction program taking a look surreptitiously...
4) Digicash exists already. I buy a copy card at the library and put money onto it, then use it at will in the copy machines. If I lose the card, I'm outta luck, cos anyone who finds it can use it. Primitive, single function, but basically what this is about, I think?
So, what I'm trying to say is that it is possible now to do this, without any huge breakthrough or legal innovations. If I have missed something obvious, please enlighten me (gently!).
- -Paul
------- End of Forwarded Message