fosecDec 21, 2022
Zack Whittaker

This is such a good but frustrating story:

Data brokers raise privacy concerns — but still get millions from the U.S. government.

Why? Because if you sign up for healthcare, or try to log in to pay your taxes, or access your Social Security benefits, you need... a credit card. Yep, that's how the U.S. government authenticates who you are.... by checking your records against a credit agency.

@alng explains this dumbassery extremely well.

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/12/21/data-brokers-privacy-federal-government-00072600

Data brokers raise privacy concerns — but get millions from the federal government

How an old privacy law and new security demands force Washington to rely on an industry in the crosshairs.

POLITICO
Dec 21, 2022 at 3:07pmWeb
Show threadZack WhittakerDec 21, 2022

It also doesn't make sense to verify people via their credit reports.

The credit agencies, like Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, often collect gobs of information about people without their consent (and no way to opt out). What's worse is that the information is often *wrong*, so good luck trying to verify yourself when the data on you is inherently wrong.

Oh, and not to mention data breaches. How many credit agency data breaches? The data can't be used for verification if it's out there!

Show threadRob Hafner Dec 21, 2022
@zackwhittaker my wife couldn't sign up for an online bank account because they couldn't verify her with the stupid credit agency system. The system is not accurate.
Show threadGreenDotGuyDec 21, 2022
@zackwhittaker IMO it's a huge problem that we don't have some sort of decent identity management in the USA. So many solutions to problems are out of reach because of it.
Show threadGreenDotGuyDec 21, 2022

@zackwhittaker like... nothing is perfect, but imagine we send everyone a Social Security, Medicare, or Postal Account card and let folks connect it to a web portal and enroll a second factor for auth. Imagine connecting your private insurance account or SNAP through it, or getting a 2FA call if you try to open a financial account against your ID.

I think we might be at a place where the benefits outweigh the risks, especially if it's got strong guardrails and explicitly not operated in coordination w/Homeland Security.

Show threadNimrodDec 21, 2022
@zackwhittaker my family has been victims of identity theft as well as mistaken identity on credit reports. Never was anyone asked for ID even when fraudsters opened new bank accounts.
Show threadThis Old HikerDec 21, 2022
@zackwhittaker Because of incorrect credit bureau information, I've had to complete a couple of such verifications by confirming that I lived at an apartment where my first wife lived after we separated, but I never did.
Show threadAndrew D.Dec 22, 2022
@zackwhittaker I agree, but how do you think it should be done? I’m not being tendentitious. :) I have no idea. DNA samples?
Show threadmlbiam Dec 21, 2022
@zackwhittaker @alng almost like Americans need a verifiable digital id that can't be tracked for marketing.