[clue-talk] national ID card

[dennisjperkins at comcast.net]

 -------------- Original message ----------------------
From: Angelo Bertolli <angelo at freeshell.org>
> Sean LeBlanc wrote:
> > On 06-29 10:53, Angelo Bertolli wrote:
> >   
> >> I think a national ID is fine as long as it's not required.  I'm not 
> >> opposed to an opt-in national ID.  But I really don't see much 
> >> difference between having a national ID and your drivers license anyway, 
> >> except maybe they're less organized at the state level.  And what about 
> >> people who don't drive?
> >>     
> >
> > One problem is that giving out your SSN used to be (pre-9/11, not sure what
> > happened since - I think Know Your Customer would override that at a bare
> > minimum for banks) opt-in, too, with two exceptions, IIRC: 1. Under a
> > subpoena, and 2. Taxes.
> >
> > Every other disclosure was supposedly "voluntary". Know too many people that
> > put that into practice?
> >   
> 
> The inconsistency bothers me.  I don't like the fact that places aren't 
> supposed to use your SSN as an identification, but I haven't found a 
> single University that doesn't.  But I don't know why it bothers me.

North Dakota started using social security numbers for driver license numbers in the 90's.  They were forced to provide an alternative for people like me who objected, because Federal law said that you could not force people to use it for other purposes.  Hopefully, by now they have dropped the use of SSN, especially with identity theft.