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Maybe we don't need a unique id at the federal level after all. Financial institutions are already required to follow KYC (Know Your Customer) laws. For this they need a way to validate the identity of the customers they do business with. I guess they already have enough ways to do this without relying on SSN or a potential national id card.

BTW, after the Equifax hack, financial institutions should be mandated to stop trusting SSN as proof of identity.

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I'm thinking of the number of government-level identifiers which might be needed / used:

* Tax authority (TIN).

* Pensions system (e.g., SSN)

* Possibly a voting ID, though that's fraught.

* Military or national service ID.

* State tax ID.

* Drivers registration.

* Real estate / property ID.

* Medical records ID.

* Social benefits ID.

* Other registrations, e.g., weapons, broadcast licenses, etc.

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