Re: Secrecy: My life as a nym. (Was: nym blown?)

[Black Unicorn <unicorn@schloss.li>]

On Mon, 11 Nov 1996, Hal Finney wrote:

> Black Unicorn makes a lot of good points regarding privacy.  One thing
> I wanted to follow up on:
> 
> > Unfortunately, in the United States most citizens only become interested
> > in privacy in their 20s or so.  By this time it is difficult to overcome
> > the mass of information which has been stored up.  (Pseudocide can be an
> > attractive option for some perhaps).
> 
> I have two kids entering their teens, and I'm sure other list members are
> parents as well.  What can we do for our children to help them enter their
> adult lives with better chances to retain privacy?  Unicorn mentions keeping
> them absent from school on picture day, although I'm not sure how much this
> helps.  I suppose it makes it harder for an investigator to find out what
> they look(ed) like.  Then when they get old enough to drive you have a new
> problem avoiding the photo (and thumbprint) on the license.

Yearbooks are literally a publication.  If you wish to be extreme about
privacy, it is hardly prudent to allow your children's name and face to be
linked in a widely diseminated publication.

Fingerprints are not mandatory, or even requested, on all driver's
licenses.  Many states do not keep copies of the photos.  The only records
available are name, DOB, etc.  (Illinois was one of these, but I haven't
checked lately).

> 
> Are there other measures which parents could take while their children are
> young to get them off to a good start, privacy-wise?
>

Avoid getting a social security number.
You can list them as dependents for several years if you stall with the
IRS about their social security number.  The worst I have even seen the
IRS do is send (rather bland) letters complaining about the number being
in error.  They hardly have time to follow up on each one.  And if they
do, failing to apply for a number is hardly a crime.  Each parent could
easily say "I thought you did it."  "No, honey, you did."  "No, I didn't."
The auditer would kick you out of the office.

> Hal
> 

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