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1. Embed this notice
   Anil Dash (anildash@me.dm)'s status on Friday, 16-Aug-2024 22:26:15 JST Anil Dash

   Here’s my dream plan, which would take 5 years and probably less than $5B:
   * We replace Social Secutity Numbers (which are like having a username with no password!) with disposable, single-use IDs of similar format, perhaps by adding letters so we have enough identifiers
   * People could get a new number anytime from the Social Security Admin website or app, by calling a number, or by going to a post office
   * Credit scores and credit info brokers are required to only have info you choose to share

   • Embed this notice
     Anil Dash (anildash@me.dm)'s status on Friday, 16-Aug-2024 22:26:37 JST Anil Dash

     in reply to

     The key thing here: if you are in charge of your new-style SSNs, you know which companies have which ones, and you could just give a freshly-generated SSN to (e.g.) a landlord. No history on that number? Not your problem. Experian/Equifax/TransUnion doesn’t have any data on that new SSN? Not your problem. Privacy is a human right!

   • Embed this notice
     Matt Zagaja (mzagaja@mastodon.social)'s status on Friday, 16-Aug-2024 22:46:01 JST Matt Zagaja

     in reply to

     @anildash why not just have the government issue everyone a public/private keypair?

   • Embed this notice
     Anil Dash (anildash@me.dm)'s status on Friday, 16-Aug-2024 22:46:01 JST Anil Dash

     in reply to

     • Matt Zagaja

     @mzagaja because the way the numbers are used makes permanence an anti-goal

   • Embed this notice
     Medea Vanamonde🏳️‍⚧️ ♀ (mishavanmollusq@sfba.social)'s status on Friday, 16-Aug-2024 23:25:08 JST Medea Vanamonde🏳️‍⚧️ ♀

     in reply to

     @anildash Single Identification Number or SIN

   • Embed this notice
     Anil Dash (anildash@me.dm)'s status on Friday, 16-Aug-2024 23:25:08 JST Anil Dash

     in reply to

     • Medea Vanamonde🏳️‍⚧️ ♀

     @MishaVanMollusq "none of us are without sin"

   • Embed this notice
     Wouter Trumpie (woutertrumpie@me.dm)'s status on Saturday, 17-Aug-2024 00:11:41 JST Wouter Trumpie

     in reply to

     @anildash so you sort of mean the digital identity wallet https://ec.europa.eu/digital-building-blocks/sites/display/EUDIGITALIDENTITYWALLET/EU+Digital+Identity+Wallet+Home coming into effect in the EU from 2025/2026 onwards.

   • Embed this notice
     Michael Delaporta (mdelaporta@mastodon.social)'s status on Saturday, 17-Aug-2024 08:55:14 JST Michael Delaporta

     in reply to

     @anildash Something to consider here: if creditors were no longer able to get a (mostly) complete, accurate and unbiased view of a potential borrower’s creditworthiness, they will revert to old-fashioned “manual” underwriting, where a person will make a judgement call on how they “feel” about a borrower. We know from history which communities get outsized benefits and which suffer under that regime. Current system is far from perfect, but there have been real benefits too.

   • Embed this notice
     Anil Dash (anildash@me.dm)'s status on Saturday, 17-Aug-2024 08:55:14 JST Anil Dash

     in reply to

     • Michael Delaporta

     @mdelaporta I would argue that they’re still doing that anyway.

   • Embed this notice
     Anil Dash (anildash@me.dm)'s status on Saturday, 17-Aug-2024 08:55:36 JST Anil Dash

     in reply to

     • Rob Mathers

     @robmathers yep, that’s it.

   • Embed this notice
     Rob Mathers (robmathers@mastodon.social)'s status on Saturday, 17-Aug-2024 08:55:37 JST Rob Mathers

     in reply to

     @anildash it seems like there’s some sort of government OpenID-esque solution here. Unique IDs per-company, people are in control of how much info is shared, from unique ID but no actual personal info to full financial info suitable for banking etc.
     Gov could invalid access per-company if there’s a breach, plus the usual revolving token protections to limit damage.
     Requires a lot of trust the government implements it well, but at a naive first glance it seems like it could solve some problems.

   • Embed this notice
     Anil Dash (anildash@me.dm)'s status on Saturday, 17-Aug-2024 08:56:51 JST Anil Dash

     in reply to

     • Courtney Stanton

     @courtney that’s obviously the goal. But the transition is the tricky thing, because credit scores were an attempt as a *more* fair system than just plain “we don’t rent to your kind”. So you have to have clarity on what you’re moving towards, not just what you’re moving away from.

   • Embed this notice
     Courtney Stanton (courtney@friend.camp)'s status on Saturday, 17-Aug-2024 08:56:52 JST Courtney Stanton

     in reply to

     @anildash I'll do you one better - get rid of credit scores

   • Embed this notice
     Anil Dash (anildash@me.dm)'s status on Saturday, 17-Aug-2024 08:57:12 JST Anil Dash

     in reply to

     • Wouter Trumpie

     @woutertrumpie similar, yes!

   • Embed this notice
     Mark Nottingham (mnot@techpolicy.social)'s status on Saturday, 17-Aug-2024 13:55:53 JST Mark Nottingham

     in reply to

     @anildash there is a LOT of work going on on this space, some of it based upon zero knowledge proofs, some of it snake oil. See eg iso mdocs, verifiable credentials (now happening at both W3C and ietf in different flavors), “trust exchanges” etc.

     My state’s drivers license allows you to do roughly what you want; phone app shows a QR code that’s only good for two minutes, with selective disclosure of identity or age. I did a FOI for their privacy impact statement; frustratingly redacted.

   • Embed this notice
     Anil Dash (anildash@me.dm)'s status on Tuesday, 20-Aug-2024 15:03:02 JST Anil Dash

     in reply to

     • ✌🏿✍🏿
     • Mark Nottingham

     @jalcine @mnot yeah the biggest challenge is not requiring everyone to have a costly device, but there are ways this has been solved for some programs like amnesty programs for migrant workers

   • Embed this notice
     ✌🏿✍🏿 (jalcine@todon.eu)'s status on Tuesday, 20-Aug-2024 15:03:04 JST ✌🏿✍🏿

     in reply to

     • Mark Nottingham

     @mnot Is there no solution that doesn't require a phone yet? Or has this yet to be done in a space where one could do it on some sort of dedicated hardware that the state can encourage adoption of?

     @anildash