IdentityDB
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Sorry, all the mason jars are full of male cow pies that will be used to power our US Gov't approved and installed generator
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How did you differentiate between male and female?
I'm not saying the issue is not important SJ, its very important. Privacy should be allowed and supported. Can it ever be implimented completely, i'm not convinced. You can only have privacy when you are able to meet certain aspects of the 'social contract'.
For example, once you are unable to financially cover your expenses, you lose all privacy. The "OMG's" only start up when someone who has been able to become and at least according to their neighbours a good and quiet person who pays their bills that somehow they have been invaded or had their credit card stolen. This all just ends up verging on, yes, paranoia. It's fear mongering. It attempts to divide everyone from the basic truth that those who know how to access (teehee) a database and create pages or run a few sql scripts or create interfaces to do so can go look at this or that persons downfalls or issues without having to do something about it, to care. To be able to point and say they are a bad person. The computer told me so. Therefore it must be true.
That's all. And its sad.
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My mother-in-law has... well, from his father anyway.
It's true, the govt doesn't care who anyone is, just like identity thieves don't care who someone is, or spyware/adware authors don't care who someone is.
The difference is, with spyware/adware the problem forms when identity thieves get ahold of the adware/spyware company's data. with the govt, the problem begins when you get questioned because you have a peculiar interest in atomic physics, or molecular biology, and are also outspoken against govt policies. The worst you get with spyware/adware for the most part is some targeted advertising, but everyone complains about that... the worst you get from you govt is a black suit at your doorstep, but no one's worried about that because well, if you don't do anything wrong, you don't have to worry.
I wonder if the minority report counts for your defense?
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nonono... you got it backwards... you want the female droppings, it's the male droppings that illuminati planted the mind control waves in. I hope you have those well shielded with aluminum foil (kof)
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I'm almost shocked that a site like this by a private company hasn't already been shut down. Steve - you hit the nail on the head, but not hard enough! Other posters help make my point: Much too easy for imposter sites with much less noble intent to spring up and woo people to "check" their SSN's or credit numbers...and then, of course, which one can you trust? The funny thing is, I'm not sure I would trust a government-run site much more than a well-run private one! Which would inspire more confidence of immunity to hack or alterior motive? People, protect these numbers like they were the key to your soul! Be suspicious of anyone or anything that wants them for any reason. With all the blessings of the digital age it has certainly become one of its curses to have become so easy and popular to use technology to try to trick those keys out of your pocket!
I'd even go so far as to say great idea. Who wouldn't want to know when your numbers have been boosted? But how you would guarantee security on a service like that I haven't the foggiest.
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I think it would be far better if banks and such could stop using publicly available information as proof of identity. Identity theft is a misnomer. It used to be called fraud, when someone tricked your bank into thinking they are you, and it was the bank's fault for allowing the fraud, and the fault of the criminal who did it. Now, when the same thing happens it's "identity theft" and it's your fault? That is just wrong.
I think if banks were held accountable to this and it was made clear that any case of mistaken identity is the fault of the bank that allowed it, it would stop pretty fast. Right now though, banks are protected from their own stupid mistakes... you have to prove it wasn't you who made the charges. I think the responsibility should be, legally, the other way. If there is a dispute, the bank should have to prove it was you who made the charge or give you the money back.
Identity theft is a myth. Nobody can steal your identity. They can commit fraud, but that's nothing new... it's just easier now, and the gray-area of the law is making so that the victims are being held accountable and the co-conspirators in the theft are getting off scott free. It's the bank that gives your money away, not you. I don't see how it's your responsibility if they fail to properly identify the person requesting the money.
I still like my idea of a fingerprint database with matching ID cards. If the triad of "thumb-database-card" gets out of sync, the identification request is invalid. You'd have to hack the database, steal the card, and somehow change your thumbprint in order to commit fraud...
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I don't like the fingerprint file. how about we just use quantum entanglement in the ID cards, then we can all know we're going to make a purchase before it happens, and with the right tools, you could have the police at the store/computer/whatever when the crook goes to make the purchase... Not to mention since looking at the state would change the state, you'd technically have a transmission that couldn't be stolen anyway.
faster then light communication... yum!
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Why don't you like the fingerprint thing? I realise the basic problems, like what if you cut off your finger, but what else don't you like about it? Just to be clear, here's what I think...
1. When you get your ID, you would be fingerprinted, and a copy of the print would be put on your card, and stored in a database.
2. When you try to verify your identification, your finger has to match the card, and if that is successful, then your card is checked against the database to make sure it hasn't been altered
3. This could use alternate forms of identifying info, like DNA, Retinal scans, etc...
4. It doesn't provide a mechanism for remote-identification. It requires human interaction at the point of sale.
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1) you have now put a permanent record of me on file, and even if I never do anything wrong, that can still have implications.
a) I'm going to someone's house, but, I go to the wrong place, while I'm waiting at the door, I touch something, and leave my finger prints. I then realize I have the wrong place when I call my friend on my cell phone, and go two doors down. a day or two later that house is robbed, and my finger prints are the only ones out of place. As is, my prints are not on file, and it is not assumed I am a criminal because my prints by the door are the only ones out of place. you add my fingerprints to a file somewhere, and it's only a matter of time until I get questioned because my prints were out of place. This is an abuse that Govt *WILL* pursue at the first opportunity for the "greater good"
2) That doesn't work for purchases from your computer unless you include a biometric scanner, and then you open up a whole different can of worms.
3) DNA... once they have a better understanding of the genome, you can be sure that would also be studied for the "greater good" retinal scans, they just recently released a public system to subversively do retinal scans, and use that to identify people. We already live in a surveilance society where we are heading towards a camera on every corner. it's another extension to a trend that I find very disturbing.
4) so far the best, as I said in the previous post, a form of quantum entanglement (once it's more perfected) would be perfect for this. one of the entangled particles in the card, the other stored at the card's processing center. an ever changing encription algorythm to prevent a card from just being manufactured. I'm not sure about the economic feasability of that any time soon though.
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They already do fingerprinting of all non-Americans entering the country. As a Norwegian living and working in the US I get fingerprinted every time I walk through Immigration along with having my picture taken. As I have nothing to hide (and after 8 visas I am sure they know what I had for breakfast October 5th 1982) it doesn't bother me extremely. The principle of it does though and, even though I understand why it is done, I do not like it.
Now, if they follow through with the demand of the new passport I might just consider moving back to Norway. I will refuse to get a passport that transmits my information and identity to anyone with a reader nearby. Pass!
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Wired had an article a while back on how to break the RFID chip in a way that would appear to be just wear and tear.
You could also use an RFID shield (they're already making them for the RFID credit cards)
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Last night on CSI-New York they showed how you could steal credit card numbers just by getting close enough to someone with one of those "blink" credit cards. If you have an RFID reader in your purse, you can scan the same info that the blink machine gets, and the person doesn't even know it because all you did was stand next to them for a minute. Convenience and security are a trade-off. Personally, I side with security.
Everyday Americans are being fingerprinted all the time. When you get a drivers license they take a thumbprint. When you cash a check in person, most of the time they take a thumbprint. There is nothing wrong with this. We are simply changing the reasons why we might store a fingerprint for somebody. It used to be that only people suspected of criminal activity would be fingerprinted. That act of taking a fingerprint is now associated with that stigma, that something must be wrong about you if someone wants your fingerprint. Used to be, fingerprints were only useful in identifying people who didn't want to be identified. Now it's becoming a popular vehicle for those who do want to be identified. There is nothing wrong with having your fingerprints on file.
The paranoia about being falsely accused of a crime is something that could happen regardless of whether your prints were on file or not. The police could still identify you, but in your case, you have a perfectly reasonable explanations for your prints being at the crime scene. If I was on the jury I'd never convict someone based on that. If their bloody prints were all over the body, that would be different. Cops know that people leave their prints all over the place when they aren't doing anything wrong. Technically, in the above scenario, your prints actually aren't at the crime scene, which is *inside* the house. However, you were there, that is a fact. Cops know these kinds of things happen and it's not particularly incriminating. However, it could give the cops a way to track down potential witnesses. I would rather have them be able to find me quickly and get my explanation, than have them search for me for months, and find me anyway because someone saw my car there or saw me knocking or whatever.
People leave biological samples wherever they go, that's why I don't find it particularly incriminating when they find small amounts of blood in someone's car or fingerprints or hair or whatever. There's plenty of my ex's blood in my car, and plenty of the other way around... doesn't mean either of us was involved in any foul play. As a way of proving my identity though, I think fingerprints are good.
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What did you have for breakfast?
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it's worse then that... most people don't pay attention, but, it's not uncommon for an additional block to be added to one end of the card reader that does nothing but record the information from every card that swipes through it. very easy to do. couple it with a web cam, shoulder surfing, or, an overlay on the keypad, and you have pin numbers too.
can we go back to the gold, or silver standard, and some solid currency please?
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I tihnk banks are a good place to start, but until they get sued, and the INSURANCE companies start raising rates, they won't do much. I don't like fingerprints or anything permanent. I'd rather have a pin/pwd/credit card/smart card/something that I can change regularly. Or better yet, am forced to change.
The government makes sense if there's recourse. Course this administration will be gone in a year, so maybe things will be better.
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