here is a repeat of my comment a few weeks ago, which scored 134 on YNews. This was about using biometrics for getting social benefits.. later, someone said "hey! I object, taxes are not benefits" and I reply "the similarity is that biometric requirement to use (obviously efficient) online services. That includes both social benefits like unemployment, and also required interaction like taxes" .. hope that clears it up
the core of the thought is -- if the government interaction is flawed such that it is not actually doing only what it says it is doing, to the detriment of most ordinary people, and is subject to insider gaming with rewards to do so THEN additional and perhaps draconian requirements on the ordinary individual, do not solve the flaws, burden and antagonize an ordinary person, and the implementation becomes a new attention target WITH new penalties attached, for the ordinary person. hth
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American here
"perhaps better known as the online identity verification service that many states now use to help staunch the loss of billions of dollars in unemployment insurance and pandemic assistance stolen each year by identity thieves"
In the great State of California, billions in unemployment benefits were sent to the wrong people.. because their internal systems were designed to delay, deny and deprive, I say. Actual people with real jobs were repeatedly refused, while insiders who knew how to fill out paperwork, and apparently knew where the blind spots were, filed hundreds of claims in the early pandemic days. A newly appointed Director (young, tech savvy woman) soon stopped making public statements, and the situation nearly two years later, is not resolved. This is at a time when California has record income to the State.
Now, some people may jump on this and say "well, you see how photo ID would have helped that" and, with incomplete knowledge and personal opinion, I say no, it would not solve it. You see, people with real jobs, with every real paper filed, were denied benefits, while insiders were pulling checks with both hands, using certain kinds of identities that would slip through. How would ever more restriction, requirement and verification, have helped here?
I am deeply against the collective government making ever more demands on citizens for "papers, please" enrollment to massive money social services (edit e.g. govt unemployment benefits). It is not going to have the desired effect, despite superficial evidence otherwise. Additionally this represents a slippery slope where the ability to interact as an individual will be eroded, and opportunity for insider graft will increase