FC: Anonymous services on the upswing, sparked by credit concerns

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,42408,00.html

   Prepaid Phones and Privacy, Too
   by Declan McCullagh (declan () wired com)
   2:00 a.m. Mar. 14, 2001 PST
   
   For privacy advocates who have spent years agitating for far-reaching
   data collection legislation, the last few months have resembled an
   ongoing bad dream.
   
   A Republican lives in the White House, Democrats in Congress are in
   disarray, and business groups are emboldened. Even the Federal Trade
   Commission, which once recommended more privacy laws, will be headed
   by a conservative by the end of this year.
   
   But while public attention has focused on Washington, D.C., a quiet
   revolution has taken place in the marketplace. Spurred not by
   legislative fiat but by competitive pressures, companies have begun to
   offer anonymous services -- in part to lure customers who have poor
   credit or who are immigrants without any credit history.
   
   On Tuesday, San Francisco startup Telespree said it will sell sub-$30
   disposable cell phones later this year. The company says it believes
   the market for low-cost phones with prepaid service plans will be at
   least as large as today's market for disposable cameras.

   [...]

   One answer might be a new American Express card sold in
   7-Eleven stores that lets shoppers avoid such potential privacy
   invasions by remaining anonymous.
   
   It comes in two largely identical flavors: The 7-Eleven Internet
   Shopping Card -- introduced last month -- and the 7-Eleven Gift Card.
   Both are from American Express. A customer who walks into a
   participating 7-Eleven store can hand over cash for an anonymous
   prepaid charge card with up to $1,000 stored on it, if he or she is
   willing to pay a 4 percent service fee.

   [...]




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