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We already do have federal ID: our social security numbers. And if you're a man your selective service number, too. Both are technically not mandatory, but the
by Manuel_D 4y ago
We already do have federal ID: our social security numbers. And if you're a man your selective service number, too. Both are technically not mandatory, but the steps to avoid them are incredibly byzantine and lock you out of lots of social services.
- dragonwriter 4y ago> We already do have federal ID: our social security numbers Social security numbers (or cards) are not ID, in any meaningful sense. > And if you're a man your selective service number, too. Also not an ID. > Both are technically not mandatory, but the steps to avoid them are incredibly byzantine and lock you out of lots of social services. “Immigrate to the US after age 25” isn’t that byzantine. And, actually, selective service registration is technically mandatory, during a narrow age band.
- Manuel_D 4y agoSocial security numbers are unique IDentifiers for almost all people (legally) living in the US. Their whole point is to uniquely identify each person in the country. Even if you immigrate to the US after 25 you'll be assigned an SSN after becoming a permanent resident. You can't board a flight with it because there's no photo, but it's still a near-universal way to ID each person residing in the US.
- kube-system 4y agoTheir point is to identify a unique taxpayer record or a unique social security recipient. They lack a photo, so their utility is limited in identifying a physical human being. They are, pedantically, "an ID". Just like a UUID is an ID. They're just not the type of ID we're talking about: an ID that authenticates the identity of a human who possesses it.
- Tangurena2 4y agoSSN are supposed to be unique. They are not. If you try to use them as a unique identifier in a database, your customers/end users will be sorry. In the payroll app that I'm currently working on, 111111111 is used as a temporary number. Which ends up not being temporary enough.
- paledot 4y ago> your customers/end users will be sorry So will you, because your database is now bleeding red-hot PII across every query and foreign key. Chances are you'll now end up with a web interface that uses SSNs in its URLs. Holy hell, how was this even considered?
- kube-system 4y agoFWIW, they did say unique identifier, not primary key.
- paledot 4y agoFair point. Hopefully that was just me jumping to an uncharitable conclusion, and if so I apologize.
- dragonwriter 4y ago> You can’t board a flight with it because there’s no photo Exactly. When we discuss “national ID” we are talking about an identification document: a tool that allows authenticating a person; an SSN doesn’t do that. It is an identifier, not an identification document. (We do have a actual national IDs, but they aren’t universal or mandatory, either in theory or in practice, though they are required for certain purposes and will be soon for more, and are increasingly common. Passports, state-issued IDs meeting REAL ID standards, Enhanced Driver’s Licenses, etc.)
- Tangurena2 4y agoWorking on my 3rd bachelors degree - in my early 50s - required me to provide my selective service registration number. Something I had not needed since the 1970s.
- kube-system 4y agoThose are not really used that way, though. There are many federal photo IDs (which are used as IDs), a few are listed here: https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification