Warp wrote:
> Jim Henderson <nos### [at] nospamcom> wrote:
>> Maybe there, but not here...not everyone in the US has one.  Many people 
>> who live in the US don't, even though they're legal.
> 
>   I can't understand how that can work. The most prominent problem which
> comes to mind is: How do they collect taxes if they don't know who is who?

The IRS (Internal Revenue Service) of course has your SSN, as does anyone 
with the authority to collect taxes.  (Interestingly, it's called "Social 
security number" because it was originally only to be used to collect social 
security, not even other federal or state taxes.)

Private companies (other than your employer of course) don't necessarily get 
your SSN unless you give it to them. Most places that key their database by 
your SSN have mechanisms to support people who don't have or refuse to 
provide their SSN.

> How can employers inform the government who is working for them if the
> employees have no ID? 

Only taxpayers actually need an SSN. You don't get it "at birth". You get it 
before you get a paying job. It's not a national ID number, it's a taxpayer 
ID number.

>   That might sound a bit draconian when said like that, but I have yet
> to feel that being abused.

It was certainly abused during various wars, by both the USA and Germany 
during WWII, for example. Not to invoke godwin or anything...

>   To somewhat compensate, Finland has very strict privacy laws (probably
> much stricter than in most other countries). 

We lack that here, which is part of the problem. And even when there are 
specific laws, our government is pretty good at ignoring them anyway. :-)

-- 
   Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
   There's no CD like OCD, there's no CD I knoooow!

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