From: johnboyd@ocdis01.UUCP (John Boyd)
Newsgroups: misc.jobs.misc
Subject: Re: Job ad from Computerworld - want SSN/drug test
Date: 21 Jan 93 22:14:35 GMT
Organization: Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma


In article <218@complex.complex.is> frisk@complex.is (Fridrik Skulason) writes:
>
>person was born in Iceland on Oct. 7th 1963"). 
>
>Now, the US SSN and the TIN (taxpayers ISD number, right ?) are the closest
>thing to this the US has, but they don't seem nearly as widely used as our
>ID-number - it is on my credit card, my heating bill, as well as serving the
>same purposes as the US SSN and the TIN.....
>
>So, why hasn't a similar number been adopted in the US...?
>
>-frisk
>-- 
>--
>Fridrik Skulason      Frisk Software International     phone: +354-1-694749
>Author of F-PROT      E-mail: frisk@complex.is         fax:   +354-1-28801


----- News saved at 21 Jan 93 22:12:28 GMT
In article <218@complex.complex.is> frisk@complex.is (Fridrik Skulason) writes:
->
->In many countries, such as my own, we have such a number - it used to be a
->8-digit number, which gave limited information about your name, but as the
->popularity of some names increased (and this system was abused by some people
->who got a name change, and there fore a new ID number), this system was
->dropped and now we use a number like 071063-5429 (which would mean "this
->person was born in Iceland on Oct. 7th 1963"). 
->
->Now, the US SSN and the TIN (taxpayers ISD number, right ?) are the closest
->thing to this the US has, but they don't seem nearly as widely used as our
->ID-number - it is on my credit card, my heating bill, as well as serving the
->same purposes as the US SSN and the TIN.....
->
->So, why hasn't a similar number been adopted in the US...?

Because of the potential for misuse.  If you don't believe me, read
RISKS-DIGEST, distributed elsewhere.  Some of the stuff that passes through
there will curl your hair, and remove any naive notions you have about such
things as personal privacy, the integrity of big businesses, airlines, the
government, etc.  Read it if you dare... ;-).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do..
Disclaimer: My opinion represents only me, and sometimes not even that.
Newsgroups: alt.privacy
Subject: Re: Job ad from Computerworld - want SSN/drug test
Summary: 
Expires: 
Followup-To: 
Distribution: 
Organization: Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma
Keywords: 

In article <218@complex.complex.is> frisk@complex.is (Fridrik Skulason) writes:
->
->In many countries, such as my own, we have such a number - it used to be a
->8-digit number, which gave limited information about your name, but as the
->popularity of some names increased (and this system was abused by some people
->who got a name change, and there fore a new ID number), this system was
->dropped and now we use a number like 071063-5429 (which would mean "this
->person was born in Iceland on Oct. 7th 1963"). 
->
->Now, the US SSN and the TIN (taxpayers ISD number, right ?) are the closest
->thing to this the US has, but they don't seem nearly as widely used as our
->ID-number - it is on my credit card, my heating bill, as well as serving the
->same purposes as the US SSN and the TIN.....
->
->So, why hasn't a similar number been adopted in the US...?

Because of the potential for misuse.  If you don't believe me, read
RISKS-DIGEST, distributed elsewhere.  Some of the stuff that passes through
there will curl your hair, and remove any naive notions you have about such
things as personal privacy, the integrity of big businesses, airlines, the
government, etc.  Read it if you dare... ;-).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do..
Disclaimer: My opinion represents only me, and sometimes not even that.