I've worked in the financial services industry for some time and your experience is ringing major alarm bells.
If you are buying a product which requires shipping, all the company needs to do is check with the card issuer that the address you have given tallies with the address on the card. this makes e-commerce for tangibles far more secure than over the counter shopping where a quick scrible of the biro (often not even checked too closely) is all that's needed to liberate your goods.
As has already been mentioned, a quich 5 minutes with photoshop and you could knock up passable id. What's worrying is that this company then has an electronic copy of your id and card (real or otherwise), not something I'd be too happy about.
Most credit card fraud is perpetrated by dodgy merchants (or their staff) rather than by thieves/muggers/hackers. in the UK the worse candidates are filling (gas) stations. Don't forget that it's not that hard to set yourself up as a merchant. Caveat emptor!
Speaking as a professional female developer, I am very much agains affirmative action. I beleive I got this job on my merits alone and would hate to think I was part of some quota.
Nevertheless, I do think there is a need for some positive re-enforcement of the idea that, regardless of gender, a good programmer is a good programmer. My parents told me that my desire to do a Copmp Sci course at university was due to the fact that I was a "tomboy" and I would grow out of it. (I haven't yet) And my "A" level comp-sci teacher discouraged girls from taking his class as we "would not follow through and get jobs in the industry."
We need a few female ESRs and Linus Torvalds, something for us to aspire to. I'm certainly encouraging a female friend who is a gifted developer but going towards the Business Analysis route (because it is more "suitable" for a woman) not to think in such stereotypes.
As for us being better at the touchy feely, human interaction stuff... all my best friends are programmers or research comp scientists. What does that say about *my* social life!
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If you are buying a product which requires shipping, all the company needs to do is check with the card issuer that the address you have given tallies with the address on the card. this makes e-commerce for tangibles far more secure than over the counter shopping where a quick scrible of the biro (often not even checked too closely) is all that's needed to liberate your goods.
As has already been mentioned, a quich 5 minutes with photoshop and you could knock up passable id. What's worrying is that this company then has an electronic copy of your id and card (real or otherwise), not something I'd be too happy about.
Most credit card fraud is perpetrated by dodgy merchants (or their staff) rather than by thieves/muggers/hackers. in the UK the worse candidates are filling (gas) stations. Don't forget that it's not that hard to set yourself up as a merchant. Caveat emptor!
Speaking as a professional female developer, I am very much agains affirmative action. I beleive I got this job on my merits alone and would hate to think I was part of some quota.
Nevertheless, I do think there is a need for some positive re-enforcement of the idea that, regardless of gender, a good programmer is a good programmer. My parents told me that my desire to do a Copmp Sci course at university was due to the fact that I was a "tomboy" and I would grow out of it. (I haven't yet) And my "A" level comp-sci teacher discouraged girls from taking his class as we "would not follow through and get jobs in the industry."
We need a few female ESRs and Linus Torvalds, something for us to aspire to. I'm certainly encouraging a female friend who is a gifted developer but going towards the Business Analysis route (because it is more "suitable" for a woman) not to think in such stereotypes.
As for us being better at the touchy feely, human interaction stuff... all my best friends are programmers or research comp scientists. What does that say about *my* social life!
*Very* cute!
My patner is a code jedi. I'm his padouin learner!