Slashdot Mirror
Japanese Cry Foul on New ID System
Gudlyf writes: "As an update to the previous story on Japan's governmental ID system, the AP is reporting that many Japanese have organized into protest groups that have popped up and are planning a rally at which demonstrators will show their outrage by ripping up the papers being sent out by the government to assign every citizen an 11-digit number."
"I am not a number!"
"You wish..."
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If we in the U.S.A. would do the same right now. Given most people's willing blindness to what's going on with the goverment, I doubt it.
Banzai!
The Japanese are a culture that prides themselves on traditional values of honor, discretion and privacy. The 11 digit number system is an affront to this system of values in the eyes of many Japanese... this is the reason for the protests.
Many Japanese do not see any reason for the 11 digit number. They feel that this level of monitoring and tracking goes against their traditional values, and feel detached from the events that have lead to higher security levels all over the world.
Despite the Sarin gas attacks by Aum, the Japanese remain very confident in their society's moral standing and place privacy and discretion on a high pedestal.
...must be why the Japanese have the best porn.
Only in slashdot are posts of solidarity modded at -1 Redundant, while posts of antagonism are modded as -1 Flamebait.
Why is this a such big deal? How is this different from a Social Security Card in the US?
The / in
...if the next step is to offer free 'feature filled' tatooing of these numbers onto every persons' arm at the time of birth?
Now where have I heard of this concept before...
--trb
How come we get away with a 9-digit unique ID, whereas in Japan (with less population, surely) they need an 11-digit one?
Banner ad connected to a story about the Big Brother aspects of Japan's national ID system: A closeup of an Asian woman's eyes, and the text "See all. Know all."
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The Japanese have shown the world they have the brains and the guts to get their arses in gear and DO SOMETHING when their government steps out of line.
And no, whining on /. does not count.
I'll be HERE . You dont have to take action as direct as that but voting does not count for shit. If something your government does pisses you off, say so!
Ali
Ph33r m3!!!
just give them a little bit of money, but keep it in a bank so they think it's valuable. If they want the money, the are going to need a 'claim' number for their money, and everyone can have their own unique 'claim' number to use at their discgresion. now they won't have a problem with the ID number. hmmm... I love SS....
Jesus saves souls and redeems them for valuable cash prizes
What's the problem with having an SSN used as an ID number? Has anybody here been tracked down and been taken advantage of because of it? All it does is get rid of two or three more tracking steps, and that's what we're all about -- efficiency -- right?
Seriously, beyond THEORETICAL problems, has anyone actually experienced something truly wrong by SSNs? I mean, so what if you can have your credit tracked? Most people trying to hide it shouldn't be dealt with in business anyway.
Yeah, the entire system works on corporate greed in wanting to get the most out of the smallest investment by any means whatsoever, but isn't that what capitalism is in the first place -- a system built on greed? So why shouldn't anybody for a capitalist society want it?
Just curious. I'm just a brainwashed American, so I don't see the problem.
Danish != nationality
LA Times back page article shortly after this was implemented told of 2500 people getting someone elses ID mailed to them.
-Your local police will visit your house as soon as you move to collect information on who lives there, 2 emergency contact numbers, where you work, what you do, etc.
-The state run television network (NHK) has your name and address and will keep tabs on whether you pay them or not and send people to your house to collect fee
-Buying anything by credit card often requires your telephone number (written in write after your signature)
-Think your safeway/vonsclub card is bad? Every store here has a "pointcard" most of which are electronic to track your purchases. And if you're a geek that shops regularly at one of the major electronics stores (bic camera, yodobashi, etc.) expect to pay 15% more on everything if you don't sign up for one of these cards
-You can buy phones with GPS built in. And most non-gps phones can already be tracked by the phone company based on cell-site (since the cell coverage is quite good, the location info is accurate)
-People can send you spam to your cell phone which you have to pay for (at maybe $.05 each) and it's not illegal
-National health insurance requires health checks every year with results reported to your employer
-Renting an apartment requires you to have character references and financial guarantees. You also need to sign provisions that limit the number of friends you can have over, require you to put a parking sticker on your bicycle, etc.
-Signing up for recreational activities (like bike races, or just buying tickets from a travel agency) they often ask for information like your blood type, birthdate,etc.
-None of the mailing lists, etc. ever offer the option to 'opt out'
The big difference between this 11 digit number and all these other bits and pieces is that the new number is nationwide and owned by the government. Oddly, they seem to distrust their central government more than all the shops, conglomerates, local governments, and other establishments that they give their information out to. The people are too naive to realize that it's pretty doable to relate information from one database to another.