4 ms·

I know this is sarcastic but the answer is that this system is complete broken and should be replaced by something that is made for authentication. Maybe someth

I know this is sarcastic but the answer is that this system is complete broken and should be replaced by something that is made for authentication. Maybe something that is somewhat secure and allows you to change your “secret number” ones it has been compromised.

decebalus1 9y ago
Others already did it https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonian_ID_card#Cryptographic_use https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonian_ID_card#Cryptographic... Granted it's not foolproof but it's definitely a step forward compared to the SSN bullshit.
- scient 9y ago
  In the end its not the crypto that makes it more secure. Estonia still has a national identifier number, just like US has the SSN. The difference is that while I can know your name, DOB and the identifier (which actually contains your DOB in it), I cant easily pretend to be you. And this is because the process itself is different - when I got to open a bank account, I present my ID card, the bank can plug it in and pull up my profile from the central authority (ran by the government), and I need to pass the checks of being there in person, with a matching ID, which also checks out from the central system (including picture). Combine this with for example strong proof via blockchain about who used to check your info and from where, and you are at a pretty good spot. Note that Estonia does not do that last part just yet. As for the US, the chances of having a national ID card along with similar infrastructure are slim to none. So don't hold your breath about major changes any time soon. The best best would be to get closer to something like the above solution via private companies or maybe the credit bureaus themselves (once they are force to change their business model from aggregating and selling data without your consent).
  - supreme_sublime 9y ago
    One crazy thing was when I got my mortgage and was transferring my down payment to the mortgage company, my bank didn't require me to even show my ID. There is probably a reason for it, as the documents all matched up on the name and I had to submit a lot of information to the mortgage company. I still found it very strange making that kind of transfer of tens of thousands of dollars that I didn't have to show any kind of proof of ID.
zeep 9y ago
Maybe the government could issue 100,000,000 ID Coins per person, and you would use each of them only once ... a bit like bitcoins, but for ID... You would spend 1 each time you need to prove your identity. They could be in a hardware wallet and could easily be replaced for free.
- jhwang5 9y ago
  Yes, then you are shifting the security problem to securing the private keys for these identity tokens.
  - zeep 9y ago
    and they could easily be revoked... If the government wanted to delete somebody, it would be pretty easy... just revoke all tokens and don't issue new ones.
    - jhwang5 9y ago
      That sounds extremely dystopian. And since blockchain transactions are irreversible, it means the government can just permanently delete you.
      - zeep 9y ago
        it's just how it is when everything is digital... digital voting machines with no paper trails are just as bad... if not worst.

decebalus1 9y ago

Others already did it https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonian_ID_card#Cryptographic_use https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonian_ID_card#Cryptographic... Granted it's not foolproof but it's definitely a step forward compared to the SSN bullshit.

scient 9y ago
In the end its not the crypto that makes it more secure. Estonia still has a national identifier number, just like US has the SSN. The difference is that while I can know your name, DOB and the identifier (which actually contains your DOB in it), I cant easily pretend to be you. And this is because the process itself is different - when I got to open a bank account, I present my ID card, the bank can plug it in and pull up my profile from the central authority (ran by the government), and I need to pass the checks of being there in person, with a matching ID, which also checks out from the central system (including picture). Combine this with for example strong proof via blockchain about who used to check your info and from where, and you are at a pretty good spot. Note that Estonia does not do that last part just yet. As for the US, the chances of having a national ID card along with similar infrastructure are slim to none. So don't hold your breath about major changes any time soon. The best best would be to get closer to something like the above solution via private companies or maybe the credit bureaus themselves (once they are force to change their business model from aggregating and selling data without your consent).
- supreme_sublime 9y ago
  One crazy thing was when I got my mortgage and was transferring my down payment to the mortgage company, my bank didn't require me to even show my ID. There is probably a reason for it, as the documents all matched up on the name and I had to submit a lot of information to the mortgage company. I still found it very strange making that kind of transfer of tens of thousands of dollars that I didn't have to show any kind of proof of ID.

zeep 9y ago

Maybe the government could issue 100,000,000 ID Coins per person, and you would use each of them only once ... a bit like bitcoins, but for ID... You would spend 1 each time you need to prove your identity. They could be in a hardware wallet and could easily be replaced for free.

jhwang5 9y ago
Yes, then you are shifting the security problem to securing the private keys for these identity tokens.
- zeep 9y ago
  and they could easily be revoked... If the government wanted to delete somebody, it would be pretty easy... just revoke all tokens and don't issue new ones.
  - jhwang5 9y ago
    That sounds extremely dystopian. And since blockchain transactions are irreversible, it means the government can just permanently delete you.
    - zeep 9y ago
      it's just how it is when everything is digital... digital voting machines with no paper trails are just as bad... if not worst.