The government has managed to lose data on 25 million people this week. An impressive achievement, you must agree. Question: what information about yourself would you most hate losing? I think my bank account number comes top of that list.
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My address, but it’s habitual, so you get used to it after several weekends…
This problem has been limited to the U.K., unless you’re an unfortunate ex-girlfriend of Bill Clinton’s. In that case, Hillary has done everything possible to expose every facet of your life.
However, if the United States Government were to “lose” my personal info, these are the facts that I wouldn’t want released to the general public:
10) The amount of money I still receive in farm subsidies, despite my urban residence and non-farm related income level.
9) The huge deductions I claim on my taxes, an amount that contradicts my Big Government, Statist opinions and voting record.
8) The access code to my gated / fenced / private security patrolled community, since that would expose my hypocritical opposition to gun ownership.
7) The license plate number of my fuel – guzzling, 4 – wheel drive Sport Untility Vehicle, the one with the “Gore for President” bumpersticker.
6) My receipts for iPods, DVD players, clothing, coffee, or anything else produced at lower expense by Asians or Africans, instead of the sturdy Yeomen Manufacturers of Aspen Colorado, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Highland Park Texas, or Buckingham Palace. Even though nothing is produced in the latter locations except regulations and complaints, I should still feel ashamed.
5) My Ebay receipts. Since Ebay is the greatest free market/free trade organization in the world, one can hardly participate in their auctions without a twinge of guilt about all those dollars bypassing the Union Bosses and Politicians, can one? (Yes, we must erect trade barriers, but not until I’m the winning bid on this macrame wombat….)
4) My doctor bills, since that would reveal how much I distrust the free treatment I could receive at John Petersmith, our nearest government funded hospital.
3) My Fedex/UPS bills, since that would reveal how much I distrust The United States Postal Service. Our post office can’t deliver the mail accurately, but I still want the government to have control over the economy, medicine, education, and just about everything else.
2) My grocery receipts for bottled water. I can’t possibly drink the stuff that my city sends through the tap, can I ? ? ?
1) However, I would have no qualms about the government accidentally releasing my protectionist, statist, semi-Socialist, illiberal voting record. Those opinions have widespread support.
Any info in order of not only the potential risk but also the difficulty in changing it.
So my unchangeable biometrics would be top of the list (unless there’s a govt dept issuing new fingers that I don’t know about) while bank info, passwords etc. would be lower down.
Oh, and PINs. Yes, I’m quite ambivalent about PINS. On the one hand, they’re not that hard to change, but on the other – how on earth do you prove that you didn’t type in a four digit number?
My bank account number is known to many, to my employer (who transfers my salary therein), to the government who sometimes gives me tax refunds, to various other companies, and some people who also deposit payments due to me, and utility companies that I authorized to charge my bills directly to the bank account. What’s the problem with that ?
Knowing my bank account number doesn’t give them access to the data, or bank transactions.
My shoe size
and my inside leg measurement.
Jacob wrote – Knowing my bank account number doesn’t give them access to the data, or bank transactions.
Why then are the brothers of the kings of various African states trying to get their collective mitts on mine (and probably yours too)? Is it a question of having the ability/cheek to commit fraud?
Walter is correct. Identity Theft is becoming a bigger & bigger problem. One of my sisters recently had her identity stolen (and checking account emptied) by someone with the first and last name (different middle initial).
All the thief needed in that admittedly unlikely situation was my sister’s checking account number.
All the thief needed in that admittedly unlikely situation was my sister’s checking account number.
Couldn’t happen here. The bank calls me by phone to confirm any unusual transaction. Once my credit card data was stolen while I was in Brazil. I got a full refund from the insurance for the 2000-3000 $ the thief managed to steal before they canceled the card.
I once got notice that my license had been suspended for eluding, reckless driving, DUII. Odd because I was taking finals that week that this happened in a city 5 hours away.
I drove up and went to the court to tell them they had made some error. They figured something was up because I was still in custody as far as they were concerned. So I went to the Jail and asked them who the hell was in there and they had figured out that this guy had used my name and license # but they had sorted it out and rebooked him under his real name.
Court accepted this far enough to not arrest me for the drug charges I now had on my record as well, but refused to just to call the jail and correct the mistake. I had to make 3 court appearances (5 hour drive each way on a still suspended license) over the next 2 months ending in a trial. The arresting officers came to the front of the court , looked at me with amazement , and said “you’re not black.”
so that was cleared up in a couple more weeks, but a few months later I received notice that my license would be suspended for failure to pay a bunch of fines associated with my DUII and the various felonies that were still on MY record. So I had to return to the court, obtain copies of my case to prove the disposition of the case was “weren’t me and I ain’t black,” and re-submit to a different office at the court to get them to review the case and finally remove the bogus convictions from my record.
they did try collecting money from me one more time.
now whenever I buy a gun I have to send in full prints and wait 3 – 4 hours because I have an alias (the name of the buttplug that used my info).
like freekin’ Brazil – can’t make a move without filling out a 27B stroke 6.
can’t wait for government healthcare here!