[extropy-chat] solution to identity theft

[Eugen Leitl]

On Wed, Apr 07, 2004 at 08:37:55PM -0700, Spike wrote:
> 
> extropians,
> 
> Identity theft is said to be growing wildly
> as sleazeballs displaced by cheap and competent
> electronic surveillance systems look elsewhere 
> to make a dishonest living.

You have no basis for this claim. Electronic fraud is up in general, simply
because it's so easy, and because the networks are global.

Besides, if you need to do identity theft on a small scale, there's the goood
old trashdiving. Or keyboard logging. Only well organized professionals raid 
databases and break into ecommerce sites to obtain users credit card records.
 
> To stop the yahoos from stealing and using credit
> card applications, could not the fed simply publish
> *everyone's* social security number?  That would

What's the point in using a secret for authentication, if you give it away in
the process?

> at least stop banks from giving out credit based
> on that.  Would it not force them to come up with
> some legitimate means of determining identity?

Your fed-issed RFID tagged smart card with PKI and biometrics inside is in
the mail. Soon. And you can assume it's going to be iteroperable across much
of the world, and will be vigorously used for traveller surveillance, car
checks. Assume that RFID + PKI function will be declared mandatory, disabling put
under penalty.

In case you think I'm joking, you've not been reading the news.

-- 
Eugen* Leitl <a href="http://leitl.org">leitl</a>
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