On 11/6/03 8:05 PM, GEORGE POPE wrote to STEVE ASHER:

Hi George!

 SA>  PCV> Isn't that like what the US has in the way of a social 
 SA>  PCV> security number? It sounds like it...

 SA> The US SSN was not intended to be a universal identifier when it 
 SA> was introduced, as far as I can tell, but "function creep" has 
 SA> apparently expanded its use to cover the types of functions 
 SA> proposed for the UK identity cards.

 SA> Once a government issues one of these things, no matter how benign
 SA> it seems at the time, it becomes very difficult to "leave home
 SA> without it". There is always some bureaucrat wanting to see it.

 GP> Not just bureaucrats, but every Tom, Dick, & Harry!

Even here, where there is no mandatory ID, it is becoming the norm
to show a "photo ID" in order to book a room in a motel, open a
bank account, etc etc. I'm just one of the minority who doesn't
have a drivers licence or other credential with my ugly dial on it.

 GP> Applying for credit?
 GP> They want your SIN(Canadian version (Social Insurance Number) 

 GP> Applying for job?
 GP> Legally you don't require the SIN until after you've been hired,
 GP> but if you try to avoid putting it on the application, where it's
 GP> asked for, you're going to be seen as a troublemaker! :(

Here, it is the Tax File Number (TFN), which is also not mandatory,
but if you don't provide it, you pay tax at the highest rate,
especially on interest from bank accounts, etc. Not that banks pay
much interest these days. :)

 GP> Stores want it now, and if you don't provide it, you may not get
 GP> the sales/discounts! :|

They probably do ask for drivers licence numbers, etc, for people
signing up for their "fly-buys" etc, which I have never signed up
for. I pay cash in the stores. For now, the sales/discounts are
still available to all shoppers, at least in the stores I frequent,
but increasingly they will be reserved for the fly-buy cardholders.

If you visit Cryptome - http://cryptome.org, they have an extract
from a Cendant Corporation documents, with a flow diagram of how
Cendant uses customer data to determine customer buying patterns
& behaviour.

Cendant - http://www.cendant.com - in turn is a large global
provider of travel & real estate services, including Century
21, which exists here. 

It gives a clue as how I get so much personally addressed mail
from real estate agents these days. :(

Cheers, Steve..

 
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