Guest Post by Eric Peters
A weird thing happened to me recently during a traffic stop. The cop demanded the usual stuff – license, registration. But then he demanded one more thing – my Social Security number.
Under duress, I gave it to him.
Maybe you remember when Social Security numbers were “not to be used for purposes of identification.” It actually said so, right there on the card.
Well, it used to.
So much for that. As usual, per the frog in the ever-warming pot of water, we do not notice the change until it is too late to change anything.
Our SS number is now the de facto – and in a very real sense, the de jure – national ID. De facto, because it’s almost impossible to transact any business without one. De jure, because the law increasingly does require it for purposes of identification, even though the original law said it never would be used for such purposes.
But why be worried (as opposed to merely irritated) about being forced to cough up one’s Social Security number over a routine traffic stop?
Let’s count the ways.
Continue reading “Drivers License And Social Security Number, Please”
