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."
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.
Ths point is the japanese are protesting it, while us americans just bent over and took it you know where without protest. Of course, at the time that SS was instituted, the political climate was different: Large wars, fears about things like communist threats, and the like, and SS was touted as being nothing more than a retirement savings plan. Too bad it became a national ID.
It's not different, yet I wish the Japanese luck with blocking it. Here in the States, the SSN has mutated from being a government benefit ID to being used to track credit histories and employment. Logic may dictate that the Slippery Slope is not a valid concern, but history shows otherwise.
Those who complain about affect & effect on
When the Social Security system, everyone received a social security number that we were assured that it would not be used as a personal ID number. But, there was never a law passed to keep it from being an ID number.
Then, of course, we got used to it... everyone has a social security number. It became a defacto ID number. At my school, each student is given an id number, but rarely does anyone know it, because you can use your SS# anywhere you need your id#.
Now, with the war on terrorism, I'm sure someone will get the bright idea of changing the SS# into an identification number, and across the country, millions of people will scratch their heads and say, "What was it before?"
Your reality is lies and balderdash and I'm delighted to say that I have no grasp of it whatsoever. - Baron Munchausen
Well, the government in the US tried a different tactic (perhaps unintentional).
I love all of you conspiracy theorists out there. I really do.
However, the US government is overwhelmingly incompentent. You can ask my drunk mailman neighbor, who's claim to fame was nearly dying at work from an alcohol-related seizure. The best part, they can't fire him! I want that job!
I'll paraphrase Bill Maher to finish this post: "The government can't even deliver the mail!" Trust me, they're not smart enough to run some global spy network on all 280 million plus people in this country, cataloging their every word and move.