Is That a Faraday Cage In Your Pocket?

Or are you just happy to see me?  One of my favorite online geek stores is Think Geek, and I subscribe to their RSS feed so I can get updates on their coolest new gadgets and toys.  One of their latest is an RFID blocking wallet.  It is a nice looking leather wallet, but has a Faraday cage built in.  Why is this important?

One of the scarier trends in the credit card industry is the inclusion of RFID chips in credit and debit cards.  Visa is marketing this concept as Visa Contactless, and MasterCard now has the PayPass system.  Many of their card issuers are using it already.  Unfortunately, with some simple equipment bought from Radio Shack, and a little technical knowledge gained from the Internet, identity theft becomes much easier.  With something hidden in a backpack or briefcase, a thief can now read your credit card information at a distance.

A Faraday cage built into a wallet is a simple, and very convenient solution to this problem, as it blocks the RFID signal from getting to the card.  That means that your card can only be read when you take it out of your wallet to pay with it, which is the only time you want it read anyway.  Most importantly, you don't need aluminum foil in your pants.  It's the perfect Christmas gift for the concerned consumer in your life.  You don't even need to be a geek to have one.