ID

  Identify yourself. Looks to me like that is getting to be an issue. I did see where the IRS scrapped their plan to use facial recognition technology. The concern was privacy. There are those tech savvy people that can fool that system into thinking it is you. Fingerprints, retinal scanning and other technology is being employed more so every day. Covid ID cards are becoming the normal thing and mandatory in some areas. Naturally they are being faked and folks are making money off of that. Strange thing about that is, these vax cards aren't official identification cards, just show that the person whose name is on the card has received a vaccination. Except the name and the vaccination may both be fake! Big concern about things being fake these days, vax cards and the news top the list. Or should I say information. Misinformation is information that is wrong and possibly fake. Then again it might not be fake, but it's wrong to say it isn't fake. 

 I saw that decision on the news regarding the IRS changing their mind. It did get me thinking about ID. Are we heading to being chipped? It doesn't seem out of the question in the not too distant future. You know it wasn't that long ago when your "bona-fides" weren't much more than a piece of paper and your handshake. I'm from New York state and when I got my first driver's license it didn't require a picture on it. It wasn't a requirement until 1984! A drivers license was proof of identity, at least as far as buying cigarettes and beer went, or so I was told and "that's all I have to say about that." Having identification to vote however seems to be another issue altogether. Seems like it is the only thing that people are opposed to in that regard. Voter ID is voter suppression! Maybe we should just change the name of it, call it a License to vote, don't hear a lot of complaints about having to have a license. Haven't heard anyone claiming driver suppression. 

 But the issue it would seem is identity. On the one hand I can identify myself any way I want to, ignoring science, biology and common sense. Hey, a large portion of the population now calls Bruce, Caitlin. What about that ID card? Well, they have started to include other, non-binary, and I'd rather not say as choices. Only seems logical at some point I can just say, I'd rather not say when asked about my identity. Trust me, that's my check, my money, my car, my house or whatever. It's offensive that you are asking me to prove it! You can't refuse me either. On the other hand I need proof of identity. The problem is proving that the proof, is proof of the proof, being true. And the truth might change at any time. Remember that Olympic Decathalon champion on the Wheaties box? That was in 1976. Today he is wearing a dress and calls himself Caitlin. Would his Olympic credentials be valid today? That is to say, his identification papers. If they were presented to you today, would you believe them? Trust me, that's me, back when I was a man and competed in the Olympics. 

 The bottom line in all of this is simple enough to understand. No matter what devices, what strategy is used there are those that will cheat. There are those that will forge documents, create documents, and by-pass any security employed. So chipping, eye recognition, facial recognition, and all of that is not foolproof. Until we can decode your DNA almost instantly that will be the case. You can't change your DNA. Of course, then someone would just figure out a way to tie their DNA to your identity anyway. And what about twins, triplets or other multiples? There DNA would all be the same. Well, just have to take their word for it I guess.