The familiar magnetic stripe on key cards and tickets is slowly disappearing. According to the BBC, once common in hotels and on bank cards, these stripes are being replaced by newer technology like contactless cards and printed barcodes.
Steven Murdoch, a security expert from University College London, accidentally wiped his hotel key card by keeping it too close to his smartphone.
This is a common issue with magnetic stripe cards, as magnets can erase the data on them.
However, these cards are becoming less popular, and Murdoch realized he wasn’t alone in facing this problem during his stay—others in line at the hotel had similar issues.
The magnetic stripe, invented in the 1960s by an IBM engineer, has been used for decades on everything from bank cards to rail tickets.
However, the BBC reports that companies like Mastercard are no longer requiring magnetic stripes on debit and credit cards.
As new technologies emerge, such as QR codes and contactless cards, magnetic stripes are becoming outdated.
BBC News also highlighted that the decline in magnetic stripe use is being driven by environmental concerns and convenience.
For example, Northern Rail in the UK is testing thermally printed paper tickets with QR codes, which are more eco-friendly and less likely to be wiped by magnets.
Although magnetic stripe technology is well-established, experts like Professor Murdoch believe it’s inevitable that it will gradually disappear.
Despite the convenience of magstripe cards, newer technologies are becoming more secure, though they could also introduce new challenges for fraud prevention, as BBC noted.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c51yd4j4lnvo