this post was submitted on 18 Sep 2024
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Privacy
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I mean it may be pretty well done and thus 'safe' (curious if said app is open source?), but it sounds like you, as an individual, are tracked for most of your activities. Is cash still a mainstream option for payment?
Also, it's probably a costly stretch and really depends on your threat model, but could still have a phone with said app for any activity that requires it, and another one running GOS for a more private use.
You can still use cash. It's just for electronic payments and ID verification. Though cash is exceedingly rare.
A unified ID system just means you use the same login details for each government agency (tax office, dmv, healthcare, etc...) Instead of a different system for each. It's also a stand in for a physical signature. It also ensures your data is consistent through the entire government as it's the same database.
I think it's significantly more secure for the individual than in the US and, as far as tracking, it's not like the US' insecure identity verification systems make it more difficult to track you. The US makes it easier for others to steal you're identity, and for you to get screwed because an employee misread your name on a net form they have to manually copy into their cobal database or whatever.
Fair enough. I'm not in the US & I don't know how things are going there, but here we also have the opportunity to use the same ID for different gvt services (or to use specific ID), but nothing is required for electronic payment (although the credit card is obviously linked to your identity), and overall I barely have to use my account on any of these services, unless I have a request which really occurs a couple times a year max.
And we can log on the website, no need to use any app, which work juste fine even with a VPN.