4 ms·

Identity theft is private companies not doing their jobs. Pretty much no other country has this problem because in order to get credit, you need to prove who yo

Identity theft is private companies not doing their jobs. Pretty much no other country has this problem because in order to get credit, you need to prove who you are by providing supporting documentation which is not easy to forge and it is the responsibility of the lender to verify the documentation. And if they don’t, it’s their problem, not yours.

nottorp 3y ago
Also, in most other countries the government provides identity verification. In the form of government issued IDs and lately some governments even provide something digital. The US government doesn't provide that.
- pc86 3y ago
  I'm sorry? Every single state in the US has government-provided identification.
  - nottorp 3y ago
    Why doesn't anyone check it then?
    - alistairSH 3y ago
      Even with RealID, state-issued IDs aren't intended to be general proof of ID. It's pretty weird - they're ok for domestic travel and entering federal facilities, so you'd think they were a good general purpose ID, but they explicitly aren't that.
      - landemva 3y ago
        > they're ok for domestic travel No ID is required for domestic travel, even at big airports. Just be pleasant and explain that you misplaced it. I have misplaced ID several times, and only once I signed a piece of paper which roughly said that I am I because I say so.
        NoZebra120vClip 3y ago
        Heh heh heh, I take it that you've never been through a Border Patrol checkpoint which wasn't at the border. They checkpoint all the thoroughfares near Mexico and I reminded my Spanish fiancée to carry her passport as we traveled domestically, and I was completely correct.
        landemva 3y ago
        What were you correct about? Non-Americans are in the country by permission, not by right. Americans who consent are on their knees.
        NoZebra120vClip 3y ago
        Do you really think CBP is in the business of waving through Hispanic-looking-and-sounding people with no ID for whatever reason? I'm not saying they'd get deported, but I wouldn't be surprised at detention/questioning for a while. Law enforcement usually has ways of checking ID by radio/computer, so it may be a short stop, but still.
        FireBeyond 3y ago
        For now. Though that can has been kicked down the road, the latest drop dead date is May 7, 2025: > On May 7, 2025, U.S. travelers must be REAL ID compliant to board domestic flights and access certain federal facilities. Source: https://www.dhs.gov/real-id https://www.dhs.gov/real-id
        ghaff 3y ago
        I was utterly shocked 5 or 6 years ago when I somehow managed to lose my driver's license between my curbside dropoff and the airport door. To this day no idea what happened. Normally, I'd have had my backup travel ID/credit card/cash kit but, hey, this was a last minute couple night trip so I went light. Figured that was that. But as it turned out really wasn't a major issue much to my surprise. What was an issue was getting checked into the hotel I had been able to find for the event near the airport (Travelodge). I even had a photo company security badge, credit cards, etc. Eventually they let me, with great reluctance pay cash, which fortunately fleabag was cheap enough that my withdrawal limit covered. Thought I was going to have to call SV friends and find somewhere to sleep--or at least pay some ridiculous amount for the last room at some hotel where I belonged to their loyalty program. But TSA was actually not a real issue.
      - elashri 3y ago
        I think they are still better than my birth date, my mother middle name and whatever this SSN is. Which is basically something that I am barely the only person to know.
  - darth_avocado 3y ago
    And a birth certificate, a passport, a marriage certificate etc. to name a few others.
    - landemva 3y ago
      Marriage license is voluntary. Read your State law about powers of clerk of court (or whoever issues that license in your State). And consider what benefit you get by paying for that license, or if you can stand on your own feet without asking for a permission slip license. Everything you listed is voluntary, at least in USA.
      - FireBeyond 3y ago
        > Everything you listed is voluntary, at least in USA. That isn't true: > What Happens If You Don’t Register a Birth? > By law, newborns must be registered within 10 days of their birth. > In terms of legality, not registering the birth of a child is a violation of the law and a punishable crime. Depending on the state, the parents may be fined, charged with imprisonment, or have to face other legal consequences.
        munk-a 3y ago
        Yea, but that's specifically the only one that isn't optional. Almost all other forms of ID are voluntary as long as you understand that voluntary means you accept not participating in some privileged activities (like driving a car on a road for a drivers license). The US is actually insane about how little identification they require from residents and also not great about how expensive it can be to acquire certain forms of ID.
        FireBeyond 3y ago
        Right. But elsewhere in comments, the parent is talking about how you just "obtain a passport, it doesn't need an SSN or home address". I'm curious how one obtains a US passport without a birth certificate or SSN. (But yes, issuance of a passport is "optional").
  - munk-a 3y ago
    None of it is mandatory - there are plenty of people in the US without any government provided identification and it costs money to acquire such an ID. The only one you can't really dodge is a birth certificate.
  - lotsofpulp 3y ago
    Not to mention the federal US government provides passports.

nottorp 3y ago

Also, in most other countries the government provides identity verification. In the form of government issued IDs and lately some governments even provide something digital. The US government doesn't provide that.

pc86 3y ago
I'm sorry? Every single state in the US has government-provided identification.
- nottorp 3y ago
  Why doesn't anyone check it then?
  - alistairSH 3y ago
    Even with RealID, state-issued IDs aren't intended to be general proof of ID. It's pretty weird - they're ok for domestic travel and entering federal facilities, so you'd think they were a good general purpose ID, but they explicitly aren't that.
    - landemva 3y ago
      > they're ok for domestic travel No ID is required for domestic travel, even at big airports. Just be pleasant and explain that you misplaced it. I have misplaced ID several times, and only once I signed a piece of paper which roughly said that I am I because I say so.
      - NoZebra120vClip 3y ago
        Heh heh heh, I take it that you've never been through a Border Patrol checkpoint which wasn't at the border. They checkpoint all the thoroughfares near Mexico and I reminded my Spanish fiancée to carry her passport as we traveled domestically, and I was completely correct.
        landemva 3y ago
        What were you correct about? Non-Americans are in the country by permission, not by right. Americans who consent are on their knees.
        NoZebra120vClip 3y ago
        Do you really think CBP is in the business of waving through Hispanic-looking-and-sounding people with no ID for whatever reason? I'm not saying they'd get deported, but I wouldn't be surprised at detention/questioning for a while. Law enforcement usually has ways of checking ID by radio/computer, so it may be a short stop, but still.
      - FireBeyond 3y ago
        For now. Though that can has been kicked down the road, the latest drop dead date is May 7, 2025: > On May 7, 2025, U.S. travelers must be REAL ID compliant to board domestic flights and access certain federal facilities. Source: https://www.dhs.gov/real-id https://www.dhs.gov/real-id
        ghaff 3y ago
        I was utterly shocked 5 or 6 years ago when I somehow managed to lose my driver's license between my curbside dropoff and the airport door. To this day no idea what happened. Normally, I'd have had my backup travel ID/credit card/cash kit but, hey, this was a last minute couple night trip so I went light. Figured that was that. But as it turned out really wasn't a major issue much to my surprise. What was an issue was getting checked into the hotel I had been able to find for the event near the airport (Travelodge). I even had a photo company security badge, credit cards, etc. Eventually they let me, with great reluctance pay cash, which fortunately fleabag was cheap enough that my withdrawal limit covered. Thought I was going to have to call SV friends and find somewhere to sleep--or at least pay some ridiculous amount for the last room at some hotel where I belonged to their loyalty program. But TSA was actually not a real issue.
    - elashri 3y ago
      I think they are still better than my birth date, my mother middle name and whatever this SSN is. Which is basically something that I am barely the only person to know.
- darth_avocado 3y ago
  And a birth certificate, a passport, a marriage certificate etc. to name a few others.
  - landemva 3y ago
    Marriage license is voluntary. Read your State law about powers of clerk of court (or whoever issues that license in your State). And consider what benefit you get by paying for that license, or if you can stand on your own feet without asking for a permission slip license. Everything you listed is voluntary, at least in USA.
    - FireBeyond 3y ago
      > Everything you listed is voluntary, at least in USA. That isn't true: > What Happens If You Don’t Register a Birth? > By law, newborns must be registered within 10 days of their birth. > In terms of legality, not registering the birth of a child is a violation of the law and a punishable crime. Depending on the state, the parents may be fined, charged with imprisonment, or have to face other legal consequences.
      - munk-a 3y ago
        Yea, but that's specifically the only one that isn't optional. Almost all other forms of ID are voluntary as long as you understand that voluntary means you accept not participating in some privileged activities (like driving a car on a road for a drivers license). The US is actually insane about how little identification they require from residents and also not great about how expensive it can be to acquire certain forms of ID.
        FireBeyond 3y ago
        Right. But elsewhere in comments, the parent is talking about how you just "obtain a passport, it doesn't need an SSN or home address". I'm curious how one obtains a US passport without a birth certificate or SSN. (But yes, issuance of a passport is "optional").
- munk-a 3y ago
  None of it is mandatory - there are plenty of people in the US without any government provided identification and it costs money to acquire such an ID. The only one you can't really dodge is a birth certificate.
- lotsofpulp 3y ago
  Not to mention the federal US government provides passports.