As the much heralded chip and pin technology now starts to bed down, i can't believe the complete lack of privacy afforded to the consumer in most outlets when it comes to entering your PIN. Almost every time I've had to do it, there have been people around/behind me that could easily be memorising it/writing it down.
Once someone has your PIN, you have no comeback if they use your card fraudulently. The old signature based technology at least required a good forger or relied on poor policing by retailers. The only beneficiaries of Chip and Pin are the financial institutions, it doesn't in any way benefit Joe Punter who may be pick pocketed or jumped in the street by someone who has there PIN already after standing behind them in a queue.
Once someone has your PIN, you have no comeback if they use your card fraudulently. The old signature based technology at least required a good forger or relied on poor policing by retailers. The only beneficiaries of Chip and Pin are the financial institutions, it doesn't in any way benefit Joe Punter who may be pick pocketed or jumped in the street by someone who has there PIN already after standing behind them in a queue.