cardexchange.org

Many people are worried about the nasty privacy implications — realized and potential — of supermarket and chain store "loyalty" cards. As RFID chips are introduced, things get even more scary.

In an attempt to attack supermarkets’ data-mining operation and to gain a new shopping identity in the process, many people have taken to swapping cards with each other. Over the last few years, I’ve been among these people.

A couple years ago, a few friends and I came up with the idea of creating a sort of online loyalty card swap-meet where people could come and exchange their supermarket or chain-store loyalty cards with total strangers from the privacy of their own homes. Some other people have arranged to swap numbers for particular stores but our idea was to swap the actual cards from any store that uses a card. We actually built most of it but got hung up at the last minute on a couple of details and with writing some of the explanatory text.

Last night, I made the final push and finished the code and set everything up and seeded the database with the lists of as many supermarkets that I know use loyalty cards as listed on CASPIAN’s supermarket list.

If you’ve got an extra card (and maybe if you don’t), go ahead and sign up to swap! This is one of those things that works better when more people do it so tell your friends and spread the word.

Information and the card-swapping apparatus is all online at: http://cardexchange.org

2 Replies to “cardexchange.org”

  1. I was out drinking with some people last night, and one of them had a wallet chock full of these types of cards.  I told her about cardexchange.org, and she came back with, “You know they are legaly required to give you a no-name card if you want one, don’t you?”

    So, Mako, whats the skinny on this?  Do they have to comply and give you a no-name card that you can use, in which case this whole exchange thing for the sake of “privacy” seems kind of pointless, or did I get duped?  If I got duped, what’s your suggestion of an argument to counter that?  Becuase I don’t think “You are wrong” flies very well.  I’d like to say, “No, you are misunderstanding this law…”

    –t

  2. actually, at the local albertsons, the cashiers will either swipe a spare store card they keep at the register (if you don’t have a card), or they will give you a card and form if you don’t have a card.  It’s up to you to fill out the form and send it in.  If you don’t send it in, it’s anonymous.

    On the other hand, safeway doesn’t have any spare cards to allow people to get their discount if they don’t have one.  One lady behind me in line offered to pay me to allow her to use my card for her purchase.

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