Comment Re:i don't understand the hysteria (Score 1) 382
From my perspective, it's not really about the system itself; it's about the people behind it. Any procedure, system, or technological innovation is capable of both proper and improper uses. Is a gun dangerous? It depends on who is holding it, where they are going to point it, and how likely they are to pull the trigger. The same issue applies here.
The Japanese tolerate a national ID system because they are more trusting of their government. Maybe the Japanese government is genuinely trustworthy enough. If so, then a national ID system is not a threat to them.
The American government is not trustworthy. I believe that if a mandatory national ID system comes into existence in America, then the American government will not protect its citizens from the threats that such a system proposes. They will fail to show conscience, and crimes will occur and go unpunished. They will fail to show intelligence, and security breaches will take place from both the inside and outside. They will fail to show restraint, and the system will expand far beyond its intended or even its reasonable limits.
Americans who keep themselves informed are particularly touchy about such things. In recent times, we have seen our government do many things that the general public would disagree with, and fail to do many things that we all believed were critically important. I personally believe that the American government is far more removed from the wishes of its people than most other governments in the world are from their own.
The Japanese tolerate a national ID system because they are more trusting of their government. Maybe the Japanese government is genuinely trustworthy enough. If so, then a national ID system is not a threat to them.
The American government is not trustworthy. I believe that if a mandatory national ID system comes into existence in America, then the American government will not protect its citizens from the threats that such a system proposes. They will fail to show conscience, and crimes will occur and go unpunished. They will fail to show intelligence, and security breaches will take place from both the inside and outside. They will fail to show restraint, and the system will expand far beyond its intended or even its reasonable limits.
Americans who keep themselves informed are particularly touchy about such things. In recent times, we have seen our government do many things that the general public would disagree with, and fail to do many things that we all believed were critically important. I personally believe that the American government is far more removed from the wishes of its people than most other governments in the world are from their own.
