Privacy

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New Bill Plans To Co-Opt USPS To Distribute Digital IDs (reclaimthenet.org)

submitted 1 year ago by c0mmando@links.hackliberty.org to c/privacy@lemmy.ml

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Under the pretense of fortifying digital security in the United States, newly proposed legislation seeks to transform the United States Postal Service (USPS) into a hub for digital IDs. Senators Ron Wyden, a Democrat, and Bill Cassidy, Republican, have put forth the bill known as the Post Office Services for Trustworthy Identity Act. The proposed legislation opens new discourse on digital privacy and the potential for abnormal surveillance measures, sparking debate over the delicate balance between biosecurity and preserving citizens’ fundamental rights.

We obtained a copy of the bill for you here [PDF].

The proposed legislation comes in response to the piecemeal approach taken towards biometric identification in America. Historically, disjointed programs have been created by different states and separate agency undertakings, giving rise to the necessity for a more coherent national strategy. The Post Office Services for Trustworthy Identity Act could mark a landmark shift, focusing on service provision rather than overarching digital ID strategy.

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[–] makeasnek@lemmy.ml 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

This is step one in building towards a CBDC (central bank digital currency) where the government can see every transaction you make regardless of size and without any legal justification to access that data. It's the end of privacy and enables turnkey fascism. Programmable money that not only lets them see all your transactions, but can stop you from spending money at certain places or in certain ways. It would integrate easily with a social credit score system.

Imagine a government you don't want in charge having that kind of power and insight. Imagine a government which already broadly abuses civil forfeiture laws now having that much control over the actual currency. Surprised to see Wyden being the sponsor of this bill, he has a long history of standing for people's right to privacy.

Edit: I understand why we need a nationally-recognized ID system and why SSNs are terrible. I am just very inherently skeptical of anything that grants more power to the government, especially when there is a decent chance a government which intends to take away rights like abortion and freedom to even discuss the existence of non-straight people currently has control of the supreme court and may very well win the next presidential race.