alt Hacker NewsWhat would they be able to get by linking the card? I thought that would just facilitate immediate charges/refunds to the card since the card is stored.
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novia • today at 7:30 AM
They can check to see whether you took transit! Similarly, when you enter transit with one card, you can exit with another card and they still know it's you.
To know that you've used transit.
Not sure how it works in SF, but many cities across the world have moved to "in-card tickets." You tap your card on the way in, and the bus "knows" that this card number has a valid ticket attached to it. Depending on the particulars of the city and system, you might need to tap out too.
In some cities, this is done entirely offline. For cards which cannot guarantee offline payments (which many low-income / under-age individuals have, and such people are far more likely to use transit), this is done "on trust", with failed payments getting your card blacklisted until you go to the transit agency's office and get the situation rectified.