Transport cards are convenient, for government and citizens, but do they cost us privacy…and how much are authorities trading our details to their benefit?
Does OPAL’s lustre fade re privacy?
Does anyone have fears about the security of their private information in the OPAL transport ticket system in NSW? a correspondent asks.
For that matter, do you have concerns about the security of transport cards anywhere in Australia?
Graeme Clinch writes that he has recently sent letters to the NSW Transport Minister Gladys Berijiklian and the replies have been “slow, incomplete and often equivocal”.
“As I understand it OPAL cards carry unique identifiers and are sent only by post allowing that identifier to be linked to the holder by name. There is also a database being kept,” Mr Clinch says.
“The questions are: what data is kept? who has access to it? will it be used to track peoples’ movements? will it sold as personal information?
“It seems to me that the OPAL system forces people to give up their rights of privacy to use the public transport system. This should not happen.
“One of the greatest rights in a democratic society is that of remaining anonymous which systems like this take away,” he says.
Anyone else have concerns?
The same can be said for E-tags