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Ask Slashdot: How To Back Up Physical Data?
An anonymous reader writes "After many years I now have a backup of all my digital data in (at least) two physical locations. But what do people recommend to back up my physical data? And then how to prove my identity? I call it the 'gas leak problem,' because a gas leak in my town caused an explosion that leveled a house. If it had been my house, it would have destroyed all my paperwork that proves who I am. If I'd come home from work and found my house was now a pile of rubble, how would I prove I lived there, knowing my key no longer fits the smoldering lock? If I'd left my wallet at home, my bank cards would have been destroyed so I couldn't withdraw money or book into a hotel. Or if I'd left my phone at the office, I wouldn't know anyone's number to call, or get anyone to vouch for me. What preventative steps can you take? Since having this nightmare, I've exported my phone's VCF file to an online repo, made online notes of all my bank account numbers and passport ID, I keep ICE numbers with me at all times (separate from phone/wallet), and I've hidden a spare mobile phone and house key in a box in a nearby field. But there must be more to do!"
You could start working from home, because then proving your identity will be the coroner's problem, not yours.
When they issue a photo I.D. for someone the state also keeps a record. The same goes for Passports(federal), they want your picture in a database.
Loosing credentials happens to travelers in foreign countries all the time. You go the embassy and request new credentials.
If it had been my house, it would have destroyed all my paperwork that proves who I am.
There's this marvelous service called a safe deposit box that banks offer...
Surely there is one person in your street or at work that you can ask to crash on a couch for a night. Not every problem is solved by the cloud. Human interaction will get you a long way.
FYI: Banks, courts, and the Government issued ID have processes for people who have lost everything. It generally involves someone signing a document that vouches for your identity. It's not a big deal. If you really want to speed the process, a couple of scans of your documents emailed to yourself will help them simply look up a record and reprint the documents.
Also for the hotel problem. If you really don't have a neighbour that would let you spend the night (just what did you do to them?) the fire department and police department have contacts of places you can stay and worry about the bill later.
TLDR; You live in a society, when your house blows up, it is time to redeem your credit. Relax.
Oddly enough I had a conversation with my parents a week or two where they said they'd paid off all but £100 of their mortgage years ago. I asked why they hadn't done the the last bit, and they said there was an arrangement with the bank: you keep £100 on the mortgage indefinitely, pay interest on that and in return they keep all of the deeds and other paperwork related to the house in a safe, off-site location. As long as you have photo ID and a bank card to prove you're their customer (you carry your driving license and bank card around, right?) you can then still get hold of the deeds no matter what happens to your house.
My Dad also gets a bit paranoid about this sort of thing, so when they travel they make up a "disaster kit": copies of all important data and documents, contacts, etc. on a USB drive and given to one of us kids.
Like others have said, off-site storage if you're paranoid.
If the lock is smoldering that doesn't matter. Your house is a pile of rubble, you can get into that from 5 directions.
You need a weapons cache in a different field, fake IDs in another one, foreign money in still a different one, a few other houses in different locations, summer homes in different countries.
A numbered account in Switzerland an the Caiman's, you can store paper copies in your planes and yachts.
Hide a tele-operated submarine with copies and money somewhere an install a hidden fortress in the arctic.
That should do it.
Or just store copies of your personal papers at a friend's.
I think the only thing left to do is buying loads of a aluminium foil.
karma police: arrest this man, he talks in maths; he buzzes like a fridge, he's like a detuned radio. [radiohead]
An inexpensive fire-proof and waterproof safe will survive a gas explosion just fine.
But you are overestimating the importance of identity documents. A few sworn statements will have you up and running again in no time.
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Your bank lets people into safe deposit boxes without showing any ID?
"National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
Ah - but I keep my ID in a second safe deposit box!
My bank doesn't require an ID. Just the key, box number, and a signature they compare with what they have on file.