Via the government ID system, the state exerts a monopoly on identity and an obsession with tracking people from “birth certificate” to “death certificate”. Disproportionate KYC regulations actively exclude people without government-issued ID from necessary services, including jobs, housing and healthcare and even everyday things like online shopping, receiving mail, buying a sim card, doing volunteer work, taking classes, or visiting the gym or library.
The author must be American… it is a given an accepted fact** across Europe that you’re required to carry around and show if requested by authorities your govt id. **Nobody consider this a big deal, and yes, it is obvious that if you don’t produce it then you won’t be able to get a job as registering for a job requires the company to enter both your tax ID number and your social security number in at least one govt platform so they can pay your and retain the required amount for taxes and social security you can can later have a retirement…
Americans like to play very loose with identities and then you get tax frauds, identity theft and ultimately SIM swapping attacks that are almost zero in Europe because every single mobile carrier will require your govt id to buy a SIM card in the first place and will also require it if you need a new one.
In an ideal world, people would be judged on their actions and intent, rather than on circumstances of birth and decisions of bureaucrats. For housing, only your ability to pay rent would be relevant. For a job, only your skills and work ethic would be relevant.
Yes… and how you’re expecting to have a pension and prove you’ve worked x years and some place if you don’t provide a govt id?
For healthcare, only your medical condition would be relevant (it would be against the Hippocratic Oath to deny medical treatment to people without ID, especially if they are paying out-of-pocket in cash).
Yes… and how are you expecting the hospital to keep a medical record that contains important information about your health and is required to provide you with decent healthcare without actually requiring a govt id / identification?