ID cards under anarchy

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Voievod Posted: Tue, Sep 2 2008 3:49 PM

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How will a person prove he is who he claims he is?

What will prevent multiple identity fraud from occurring?

The answer I came up with is that there will be "ID companies" that will offer quality personal identity services, and many if not most employers will require such an ID.

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Anonymous Coward replied on Tue, Sep 2 2008 5:30 PM

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xSFx:

How will a person prove he is who he claims he is?

The 'primitives' of the early days of globalism didn't seem to have too much of a problem with this. You could take a boat ride half way around the world, present a piece of paper to someone and they would promptly hand you some money even though they had never set sights on you in their lives.

How did one ever prove that they were who they were before the nth connected databases and hologram protected 'official' IDs? Most people being born at home had only a entry in the family bible to attest to the fact that they were born into this world.

My generation was the first one in the history of the planet where one could no longer disappear and come up with a complete new identity replete with all the necessary documentation and Just Start Over. Well, it was still possible when I was a kid.

xSFx:

What will prevent multiple identity fraud from occurring?

You going to hand your money over to anyone who claims to be Joseph Smith that wants a sizable advance on the new roof without doing a little due diligence?

Plus it seems to me that it is more prevalent today than in days past because of all the interconnected databases, all you need is the 'token' and you have access to the whole shebang. I remember that they made me get a new picture on my drivers license because I didn't look close enough to the picture they had on file and no ID to prove who I was since my wallet was stolen. Brand new DL and I was off to the bank to get some carrying around money until my new debit card came. The new SS card took something like 10 months though.

xSFx:

The answer I came up with is that there will be "ID companies" that will offer quality personal identity services, and many if not most employers will require such an ID.

Why would an employer care too much?

If you are in a sensitive position they could do some due diligence but other than that what do they need your complete history for except for tax collection purposed and to make sure you aren't an 'illegal'? Maybe some variation on the bonding services for someone who deals with cash like is in use today.

Banks and credit card companies would probably come up with their own system to make sure they aren't getting scammed, perhaps an AMEX with a picture like they are starting to do today but it also seems to me that all the government ID only socializes the 'identity costs' today and causes a whole lot of wasted effort to ensure no tax evasion is going on.

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Voievod replied on Wed, Sep 3 2008 12:54 AM

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Why would an employer care? In order to protect themselves against contract breaches, for example, or theft. I would like a way to track people if they run off with my money/car/etc.

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Anonymous Coward replied on Wed, Sep 3 2008 1:07 AM

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xSFx:

 

Why would an employer care? In order to protect themselves against contract breaches, for example, or theft. I would like a way to track people if they run off with my money/car/etc.

Kind of like how you would check out someone who you were planning to hire to put a new roof on your house before you paid them their advance?

Probably wouldn't care too much who the guy was digging the ditch in your backyard who only got paid after the work was completed though, methinks.

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Voievod replied on Wed, Sep 3 2008 1:18 AM

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In some cases you care, in other cases you don't.

If I were a bank in the free market, I wouldn't give a million bucks to "the guy who diggs ditches and hangs out in pizza hut's parking lot". I would like to be able to check his background, prefferably with a reliable company that offers personal ID services.

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liberty student replied on Wed, Sep 3 2008 7:09 AM

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In a free market, there would be no agency to change your name with and hence you could be William Buttercup the Third today, Prince Peter of Potato Salad tomorrow.

I think that vouching for people, references would matter more.  Which is compatible with the small business paradigm of referrals and word of mouth marketing.

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MacFall replied on Wed, Sep 3 2008 8:55 PM

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I believe there would be some sort of reputation rating agency, but as far as personal identification goes, in a free market the need for it would be drastically reduced.

Since we have a debt-based fiat money system, we tend to use debt (credit) far more than is natural (or even excusable in my personal belief). In a free market the vast majority of transactions involve the handing over of a bit of gold or a warehouse receipt for gold, and there will be no vehicle registrations and drinking ages. Nobody's really going to give a crap who you are unless they want to know you personally, in which case they won't need an ID card.

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ama gi replied on Wed, Sep 3 2008 9:01 PM

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xSFx:

How will a person prove he is who he claims he is?

What will prevent multiple identity fraud from occurring?

 

The answer I came up with is that there will be "ID companies" that will offer quality personal identity services, and many if not most employers will require such an ID.

The beauty of liberty is that there is no one way of doing things.  An employer in a sensitive industry may want thumbprint you or take a DNA sample, while an employer in a less sensitive industry may let you sweep the floor without even asking your name.