I've seen a few letters of late regarding the assignment of names and addresses to Opal cards. These writers voice a concern their names and addresses are assigned to these cards and believe they can be tracked and have worries about their privacy.
If you have nothing to hide, why the fear? Are you trying to hide? Are you a terrorist? People today seem to think 1984 was a work of non-fiction.
Reasons for the need to assign names and addresses to cards are obvious: 1) people using a stolen/lost card can be caught out by inspectors, 2) people linked with crimes can be tracked and a record of their movements for court cases can be prepared, 3) lost loved ones (Alzheimer's patients, teen runaways, etc) can be tracked if required.
But people such as Jane Williams worry that the government will know that she caught the 9.05am Mortdale to Hurstville train to go to Coles. Go figure.
Stuart Maurice, Hurstville
Editor's note: Do you have any concerns about the Opal card and privacy?
