ATMs have made our lives so easy and convenient. You can simply insert your card anywhere in the whole world, enter a four digit pin and have access to your money in no time! But wait, why is it so that the only thing that is protecting our hard earned money is just four numbers, making 10,000 combinations and no more!
Wouldn’t if be wiser to place a PIN more than just four digits. Maybe add some letters and characters as well, to make it a tough nut to crack.
All these suggestions are viable and logical, but we have four digit PIN for a very peculiar reason.
Back in 1967, when the ATM was conceived, its Scottish inventor John Adrian Shepherd-Barron also proposed a 6-digit PIN.
But the idea why reject simply because his wife, Caroline, couldn’t remember a string of numbers higher than four! And six numbered string were reportedly too much to handle for her.
So with the fate of one of the most revolutionary inventions of his time on one hand and his wife’s memory problem on the other, John made the obvious choice.
Can’t incur the wrath of your wifey now, can you!
And of course, since it was made the norm, it is now very hard to change the system, recall every card in the world and start issuing more complex pin codes.
Thanks for the millions of losses due to inadequate security, Caroline! Some people might find it funny, I find it quite preposterous!
My card here in Brazil does have a 6-digit PIN. At any machine other than my own bank, only the first four numbers are needed. The same when using it in stores, the first four numbers only. So what was their point? Perhaps they are anticipating a change in the world?