lauren@vortex.com
Date: Thu, 9 Nov 2017 07:36:57 -0800
[Worse than SSN!]
https://techcrunch.com/2017/11/08/are-social-security-numbers-going-away/
Eyeing more secure alternatives to Social Security numbers, lawmakers in
the U.S. are looking abroad. Today, the Senate Commerce Committee
questioned former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, Verizon chief privacy officer
Karen Zacharia and both the current and former CEOs of Equifax on how to
protect consumers against major data breaches. The consensus was that
Social Security numbers have got to go. Rounding out the panel, Entrust
Datacard president and CEO Todd Wilkinson offered some context and insight
about why the U.S. should indeed move away from Social Security numbers --
a step that the witnesses unanimously agreed was necessary if not wholly
sufficient to protect consumers moving forward, in light of the Equifax
hack.
SSN is bad. This would be worse. Every proposed replacement moves us directly into the realm of mandatory electronic national ID systems and cards, which if implemented in our toxic political and law enforcement environments will inevitably lead to tyranny. Yes, it is technically *possible* to improve this system without moving in that direction. But *we* will be incapable of doing it correctly and safely, and our children will curse us in our graves.
[Reportedly, the breach cost at least $87M. PGN
https://securityledger.wpengine.com/2017/11/equifax-says-breach-cost-87m/
]