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add card computers

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@ -28,6 +28,24 @@ Chaum proposes three solutions to the state of affairs he describes.
Instead of persistent identifiers like we now have with our government ID's, credit cards, etc, Chaum suggests randomly generated identifiers. For example, you could have a one-time unique identifier for each transaction at a shop.
For ongoing relationships such as a bank, you can use a single pseudorandom identifier for that organization that you use continuously.
### Card Computers
One of the more quaint ideas in the paper is the idea of a small "card computer" on which you would perform transactions. Chaum's theoretical device resembles "a credit-card-sized calculator, and [includes] a character display, keyboard, and a limited distance communication capability (like that of a television remote control)".
Nowadays we carry around credit-card sized computers like it's nothing. The secret "card number" he describes would probable be your device PIN or even biometric authentication, which are already used to authenticate transactions.
We still haven't *quite* reached Chaum's vision yet in some areas. His idea is for these "card computers" to fully replace ATM's and checkout terminals in stores. Essentially, he wants all transactions to be online transactions, with something like Apple Pay or Google Pay on your device mediating the transaction and using your device PIN to prevent fraudulent transactions.
Making all transactions online transactions is an interesting idea. I think most people can share in the frustration of dealing with checkout terminals, especially the self-checkout ones with cameras pointed at your face.
We're still falling short in a major area though.
>card computers could be purchased or constructed just like any other personal computer, and would have no secrets from or structures unmodifiable by their owners.
Current smartphones are non-upgradeable by their owners and can't be built from scratch like a desktop computer can. They also contain lots of black-box proprietary code. Even a Google Pixel, the gold standard of Android smartphone freedom that allows you to install your own operating system securely, still suffers from the same pitfalls.
## Problems
Services that don't require an account or payment to use are great; you can use them with Tor, clear your browser history, whatever you need to do to keep your activity private.