Missouri Democrat wants to require ID for every Apple Pay payment

A Missouri lawmaker is pushing a measure that would require identification each time a person uses Apple Pay with their iPhone or other mobile payment systems on their non-Apple phones.

“Democratic Rep. Joshua Peters of St. Louis says the bill he introduced Wednesday requires customers to show a state driver’s license or other identification when they use a mobile wallet app or other electronic payment system,” The Associated Press reports. “He says it will prevent fraud if the mobile device is lost or stolen.”

AP reports, “Merchants would have to record the license or identification number or could be responsible for the illegal purchases made if a device is reported stolen.”

Brief article in full here.

MacDailyNews Take: You know, because nothing proves iPhone ownership like a driver’s license. The “logic” of some politicos never ceases to astound.

Leave our Apple Pay alone, dummy! If we’re forced to take out our ID each time, we might as well just take our our credit card, thereby negating all of Apple Pay’s appeal in one fell swoop. Apple should contact this simpleton and others like him and nip this in the bud with clear explanations as to why this is a bad, totally unnecessary idea.

For other, more insecure systems, perhaps this is an idea with some merit, but for Apple Pay, which requires the user’s unique fingerprint to make a payment, it only serves to take an extremely convenient and secure payment method and make it inconvenient – all because some clueless politician hasn’t bothered to take the time to understand something as basic as Touch ID before pushing misguided, ignorant legislation that ruins a perfectly secure and seamless system.

Contact information for Rep. Joshua Peters:
Phone: 573-751-7605
E-Mail: joshua.peters@house.mo.gov

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Robert” for the heads up.]

90 Comments

  1. The Representatives argument is excrement. It is about taxation.

    Tax his land,
    Tax his bed,
    Tax the table
    At which he’s fed.

    Tax his tractor,
    Tax his mule,
    Teach him taxes
    Are the rule.

    Tax his work,
    Tax his pay,
    He works for peanuts
    Anyway!

    Tax his cow,
    Tax his goat,
    Tax his pants,
    Tax his coat.

    Tax his ties,
    Tax his shirt,
    Tax his work,
    Tax his dirt.

    Tax his tobacco,
    Tax his drink,
    Tax him if he
    Tries to think.

    Tax his cigars,
    Tax his beers,
    If he cries
    Tax his tears.

    Tax his car,
    Tax his gas,
    Find other ways
    To tax his ass.

    Tax all he has
    Then let him know
    That you won’t be done
    Till he has no dough.

    When he screams and hollers,
    Then tax him some more,
    Tax him till
    He’s good and sore.

    Then tax his coffin,
    Tax his grave,
    Tax the sod in
    Which he’s laid.

    Put these words
    Upon his tomb,
    “Taxes drove me
    to my doom…”

    When he’s gone,
    Do not relax,
    Its time to apply
    inheritance tax.

  2. Dear idiot Legislator,
    You do understand that Apple Pay requires the owner of the iPhones unique fingerprint ID to work right? Any stolen iPhone 6 or 6 Plus will not work with Apple Pay because the thief’s fingerprint won’t let it even unlock the iPhone much less let it work with Apple Pay.

    It appears that you do not understand how Apple Pay works. Perhaps you should buy an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus and learn how Touch ID fails to allow any thief access to any parts of the phone’s operations. The whole point of Apple Pay’s NFC Touch ID requirement is to provide MORE security and LESS inconvenience in the process of making purchases.

    Your proposed law violates the very purpose of Apple Pay. Plus it allows unscrupulous employees access to the customer’s ID info which is kept secure and away from unethical employees eyes by the Apple Pay process.

    Your proposed law should INCREASE the possibility of identity theft not decrease it.

  3. I thought ID was already required in the form of a fingerprint. Not sure why you’d need a second form of ID, nor why the government gives more than zero craps.

    Credit card fraud isn’t the government’s responsibility. Let the private enterprises figure out what they need to do to protect their businesses and then fail accordingly.

  4. I think that someone should develop an app that opens on the fifth attempt to a pic of your middle finger with the headline:

    “RESERVED FOR MR. JOSHUA PETERS, DEM REP, ST LOUIS, MO”
    but thanks for your finger print(s) which have been automatically forwarded to your next housekeeper.”

  5. I wonder who is paying this idiot to do this. I’d think the credit card companies and banks are probably the best to decide what security measures are required to limit their liability. Customers are already not liable as long as they report problems promptly.

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