The issue of VINs running short was bound to happen eventually, assuming that a number is not reused when the corresponding vehicle is destroyed or scrapped. Using numbers that were intended for other countries (they would have to be officially reassigned) could be easier than extending the number of digits if those other countries did not produce any vehicles. Of course, the fact that a country does not produce vehicles could change quicker than expected...
The following is somewhat off-topic...
Speaking of SSNs, those will eventually run out (currently SSNs of deceased individuals are not reused and not all combinations are valid.) Unlike VINs, the SSN was originally only intended for the Social Security program. The SSN was later used for more and more things, and the more rapid consumption of the available numbers is not the only problem that resulted. An SSN in the wrong hands can potentially lead to very significant problems (i.e. identity fraud) as compared to knowledge of a VIN. Knowing a VIN could result in being able to track down the owner of a vehicle.
It sometimes is possible to "rebel against" SSNs. When a private party asks for an SSN, it is useful to ask why if it is for purposes not related to income taxes. An SSN should not be used as a password! Many educational institutions will now assign an alternate ID number (instead of using an SSN as an ID number); the procedure for obtaining such a number may not always be clearly documented or mentioned in the usual places.
There is a comment that the old URL will be redirected to a new URL. This could be very useful. When a provider stops providing, the change of URL can be a problem even if a new provider is found. Consider released software, etc. that contains a URL hyperlink. Copies of software with the now-invalid URL could continue to persist for a long time. It is not just web logs but also things like Web sites and e-mail addresses where the domain name or URL can be important. A while ago, there was a free webhosting service, Xoom.com but now Xoom.com leads to a money transfer service. Imagine all those with sites hosted at Xoom.com and who distributed the URLs... Keeping a local archived copy of the site could be important in case something unexpected happens. It could also be noted that when something is free it often implies a catch of some sort.
Some years ago, a law (COPPA) was passed that restricted Web sites from collecting information about young people. One unexpected effect was that a number of young people had their e-mail accounts cancelled by a company attempting to comply with the new law.
The VerifiedVoting.org Web site explains the issue of mission-critical computers versus electronic voting machines. Basically, voting machines are not designed and built with the same care as mission-critical systems. Also, voting machines have to be able to resist deliberate tampering in addition to accidental crashes or failure. (Electronic vote tampering could come from inside individuals or those close to the voting systems, as opposed to an attack by someone outside.)
With respect to financial systems, security expert Bruce Schneier has talked about financial transactions versus electronic voting. There is a difference in securing the two because financial transactions have identifiers associated with them but votes have to be anonymous. With respect to electronic financial transactions, both parties know (or can find out) the identity of the other to resolve the issue if something does go wrong.
The ability for votes to be counted accurately and to represent the will of the voters comes close to affecting the existence of a democratic government and freedom for the people.
Security expert Bruce Schneier has talked about what he calls the trojan defense. He mentions several cases in which an illegal action was traced to a specific computer system, but the individual who was at the system claimed that a trojan horse was responsible for the action. In one case, an individual was suspected of launching a distributed denial of service attack, but they were acquitted after arguing that a trojan was responsible. In two other cases, individuals were charged with downloading illegal porn but were able to get the charges cleared via the trojan defense. Bruce Schneier supports the idea of this defense, but others might not.
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The issue of VINs running short was bound to happen eventually, assuming that a number is not reused when the corresponding vehicle is destroyed or scrapped. Using numbers that were intended for other countries (they would have to be officially reassigned) could be easier than extending the number of digits if those other countries did not produce any vehicles. Of course, the fact that a country does not produce vehicles could change quicker than expected...
The following is somewhat off-topic...
Speaking of SSNs, those will eventually run out (currently SSNs of deceased individuals are not reused and not all combinations are valid.) Unlike VINs, the SSN was originally only intended for the Social Security program. The SSN was later used for more and more things, and the more rapid consumption of the available numbers is not the only problem that resulted. An SSN in the wrong hands can potentially lead to very significant problems (i.e. identity fraud) as compared to knowledge of a VIN. Knowing a VIN could result in being able to track down the owner of a vehicle.
It sometimes is possible to "rebel against" SSNs. When a private party asks for an SSN, it is useful to ask why if it is for purposes not related to income taxes. An SSN should not be used as a password! Many educational institutions will now assign an alternate ID number (instead of using an SSN as an ID number); the procedure for obtaining such a number may not always be clearly documented or mentioned in the usual places.
There is a comment that the old URL will be redirected to a new URL. This could be very useful. When a provider stops providing, the change of URL can be a problem even if a new provider is found. Consider released software, etc. that contains a URL hyperlink. Copies of software with the now-invalid URL could continue to persist for a long time. It is not just web logs but also things like Web sites and e-mail addresses where the domain name or URL can be important. A while ago, there was a free webhosting service, Xoom.com but now Xoom.com leads to a money transfer service. Imagine all those with sites hosted at Xoom.com and who distributed the URLs... Keeping a local archived copy of the site could be important in case something unexpected happens. It could also be noted that when something is free it often implies a catch of some sort.
Some years ago, a law (COPPA) was passed that restricted Web sites from collecting information about young people. One unexpected effect was that a number of young people had their e-mail accounts cancelled by a company attempting to comply with the new law.
The VerifiedVoting.org Web site explains the issue of mission-critical computers versus electronic voting machines. Basically, voting machines are not designed and built with the same care as mission-critical systems. Also, voting machines have to be able to resist deliberate tampering in addition to accidental crashes or failure. (Electronic vote tampering could come from inside individuals or those close to the voting systems, as opposed to an attack by someone outside.)
With respect to financial systems, security expert Bruce Schneier has talked about financial transactions versus electronic voting. There is a difference in securing the two because financial transactions have identifiers associated with them but votes have to be anonymous. With respect to electronic financial transactions, both parties know (or can find out) the identity of the other to resolve the issue if something does go wrong.
The ability for votes to be counted accurately and to represent the will of the voters comes close to affecting the existence of a democratic government and freedom for the people.
Security expert Bruce Schneier has talked about what he calls the trojan defense. He mentions several cases in which an illegal action was traced to a specific computer system, but the individual who was at the system claimed that a trojan horse was responsible for the action. In one case, an individual was suspected of launching a distributed denial of service attack, but they were acquitted after arguing that a trojan was responsible. In two other cases, individuals were charged with downloading illegal porn but were able to get the charges cleared via the trojan defense. Bruce Schneier supports the idea of this defense, but others might not.