Payment and privacy: A key for the development of NFC mobile

This paper first introduces a possible evolution of secure personal identification devices, based on RFID technology in the mobiles phones (NFC). Given the characteristics of the mobile phone market, this trend could grow quickly and importantly. This paper considers the possible impact of this evolution in term of privacy, focusing on a typical and important case: payment transactions. This paper sticks to the general approach and role of “card payment system”. Yet, it demonstrates that it is possible to improve some of the privacy characteristics of this kind of application. It also outlines the way payment protocol should be designed in order to reach this goal.