3 ms·

In this case, a little obscurity goes a long way. A $5/month droplet is more than enough for a single household’s internet use. If you make cash purchases with

In this case, a little obscurity goes a long way. A $5/month droplet is more than enough for a single household’s internet use. If you make cash purchases with any frequency, it’s very possible to make your once-every-10-months $50 Visa gift card purchase nearly untraceable (at least by dragnet/mass methods). Your cover is far more likely to be blown by other things, like which IP address connects to the droplet most frequently.

DoctorOetker 8y ago
Hi, I live in europe, and am not familiar with visa gift cards in specific. Would you mind describing exactly how they work, what form you buy them in, and how you use or enable them? I.e. is the code printed at the time of buying? Or does it have a scratch-off code and packaged in plastic wrap? Is it scanned under a device while selling? Even if there dont seem to be any unique codes, an IR fluorescent barcode could be used on the card, or its plastic wrap. Even if there are no unique codes, the cards might come from a rack or pack in sequence, and the cashier instructed to scan a new pack of cards when opening a new pack!
- TimTheTinker 8y ago
  It's just a prepaid credit card. Looks and behaves like any normal credit card, except that it has no name or address associated with it (and will validate against any). Yes, they have unique numbers, and the time/date/location of purchase is known for each card's number. Like I said, this is not secure enough to defend against targeted attacks by well-resourced actors, but good enough to stay out of the dragnet, at least for now.
  - Proof 8y ago
    Question: wouldn't it just be more feasible for American govt to request to have all the numbers to be handed to them prior to the sale? That way they would know, where it was bought and be able to track down by whom. Sorry for my English. I hope my question is understandable.
    - TimTheTinker 8y ago
      They could do that, but I’ve never heard of it. And compelling companies to do it long-term would be illegal (AFAIK, IANAL).

DoctorOetker 8y ago

Hi, I live in europe, and am not familiar with visa gift cards in specific. Would you mind describing exactly how they work, what form you buy them in, and how you use or enable them? I.e. is the code printed at the time of buying? Or does it have a scratch-off code and packaged in plastic wrap? Is it scanned under a device while selling? Even if there dont seem to be any unique codes, an IR fluorescent barcode could be used on the card, or its plastic wrap. Even if there are no unique codes, the cards might come from a rack or pack in sequence, and the cashier instructed to scan a new pack of cards when opening a new pack!

TimTheTinker 8y ago
It's just a prepaid credit card. Looks and behaves like any normal credit card, except that it has no name or address associated with it (and will validate against any). Yes, they have unique numbers, and the time/date/location of purchase is known for each card's number. Like I said, this is not secure enough to defend against targeted attacks by well-resourced actors, but good enough to stay out of the dragnet, at least for now.
- Proof 8y ago
  Question: wouldn't it just be more feasible for American govt to request to have all the numbers to be handed to them prior to the sale? That way they would know, where it was bought and be able to track down by whom. Sorry for my English. I hope my question is understandable.
  - TimTheTinker 8y ago
    They could do that, but I’ve never heard of it. And compelling companies to do it long-term would be illegal (AFAIK, IANAL).