From: jim@bilbo.suite.com (Jim Miller)
Date: Wed, 15 Dec 93 14:03:54 PST
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: anonymous video rental store
Message-ID: <9312152201.AA08464@bilbo.suite.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



I'm not convinced a simple anonymous customer/buy-back(or deposit)  
mechanism is the ideal solution.  First, the clerk sees what videos you  
rent and might be able to identify you from a picture.  Second, if the  
store issues ID cards, then the store can track which videos are rented by  
each ID.  Although the store doesn't know for your real identity, it  
wouldn't be to hard to find it out in many cases.  The clerk coud look out  
the store window and get the license number of your car.

You could avoid some of these problems if the store didn't issue permanent  
ID cards, but instead issued one-time ID cards.  You would get a new ID  
card everytime you rented some videos.  This would make it impractical for  
the store to automatically track your rentals.

This doesn't eliminate the posibility of a clerk remebering your face and  
pairing it up with a specific rental, or a rental pattern.

"Oh yeah, I remember that guy. he usually comes in late Friday night, just  
before closing.  He always rents children's videos.  Is he some kind of  
pervert?"

Jim_Miller@suite.com