Quote:
Originally posted by Degrees
...I think the problem of identity theft can be solved without adopting a national ID system. Local ID's, if checked, could be sufficient. That's the real problem causing identity theft: lack of bothering to check ID.
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The problem with current local ID systems - it's not working. In a bar in Avalon, they were reviewing the illegal licenses confiscated from the summer. One of the bouncers apparantly had memorized the manual for all 50 states. They easily had under 1000 IDs. As we looked, I could see nothing wrong with any of them. This is before ink jet printed IDs were possible. We know local IDs are so easily counterfeited that major license counterfeiting operation move from hotel to hotel without detection and do so much business.
Of course, even worse is the original point of this post. We depend on a system not intended to make it possible for you to prove who you are. The system is only intended for government to ID you. Because it is not intended for your own security, the above picture is easily available. We don't have a system necessary for you to protect your own privacy.
Once we examine the details, the concept of a national ID confirmation system takes on a completely different persective. A national ID confirmations system is not a threat by 'big brother' on your privacy since they already have all that information - regardless of the comparisons to Nazi Germany. What we don't have is national ID system that addresses our ability to protect our own privacy and indentity. We don't even have any system so that you can check that your privacy is secure. Will you send $50 every year to every credit rating agency to confirm you credit rating is intact? Currently that is what you must do. 20 years ago, the lady who ran US Passports for the Custom service noted the problem was serious and that US IDs were the world's hottest IDs. Today it is even worse - and expected to increase like spam as more systems must exist to ID you but no system exists to protect your ID.