I suppose email and SSN are yikes inducing but after a decade of having my email sold to the political parties, I don't treasure it. SSN? Haven't we moved beyond SSN for security purposes?
Unlisted numbers have been a white pages paid feature for a very long time. Very similar incentives in both directions compared to these headers, I’m sure. (Yellow pages were pay for inclusion, iirc.)
But it's more than you cherry-picked anyway:
> The file included the names and birth years of their relatives. It listed the target’s mobile phone numbers and provider, as well as personal email addresses. Finally, the file contained information from their drivers’ license, including its unique identification number.
Plus 'sometimes' Social Security Number as you said.
Yes you can opt out even with credit cards, and you can also do it for minor children in 5 easy steps: 1 clone your trust document 2 IRS.com and get TIN for trust 3 open trust savings account at bank 4 put funds in account 5 get the bank's 'secured credit card' offer in which they lock the funds
If you quibble that a secured credit card is not a real credit card, then just get the debit card.
From what I can tell, SSN is still somehow considered a form of identification in the US.
Edit: Commented too early.
Seems like there are basically no exceptions when it comes to banking.
That depends on your megabank. KYC and what staff will do over the phone is about relationships. I get things done over the phone at local credit unions and even mid-size regional banks. Banking and identity regulations allow a lot to happen, and your personal relationships make a difference.
The back offices of mega-banks generally prevent personal service. Choose a different banker.
No, the banks haven't, which means you haven't, bucko.
Of course, this would completely change the risk model banks operate under and fundamentally reshape commerce as we know it. Thanks would become hypersensitive, all business would be conducted in person, banks would reserve the right to tie up your money for years if you couldn't prove who you were (think getting your Google account unlocked when Google suspects fraud, except now it's your money in the bank down the street...).
SSN is voluntary. If parents would stop opting-in their babies into this data scheme, Americans could grow up without these numbers.
After ominous threats about 'must choose name for baby' my wife and I left the hospital with our baby. Health insurer sent new member card with name 'baby girl' which worked great for all the follow-ups. And nobody from big government forced me to apply for SSN. We did get a passport (SSN on that application is optional) and travelled internationally before the first birthday.
Most of this nonsense data collection is voluntary. More and more in life I say "No thank you" and move on. Many Americans get a warm blanket feeling by putting their children into voluntary data schemes.
But you, you're walking the walk. Asking the hard questions and accepting the consequences. There is only one way to make things change.
Don't let any little pedants tell you "how your daughter is going to grow up", either. Or that they somehow know how she'll feel about you.
FWIW: my kids have SSN's and that is just as dangerous as what you've chose.
When you get/renew passports, leave the SSN box blank. It will become second nature to ignore these data requests.
Or have you already resolved to believe that person is your "some people"?
"Voluntary" but required to live like a normal human being isn't very "voluntary" in reality.
Get a job without an SSN.
Passport works great for ID all around, because it does not require SSN and does not have home address.
Many things, like TSA (Soviet era) checkpoints don't actually require ID. People seemingly prefer to act like cattle and show IDs everywhere and voluntarily consent to full body scans. Then people complain that their bits of privacy got leaked. Of course it leaked, and you voluntarily consented.
Are you absolutely sure that people who had real concerns about their privacy and safety allowed their phone number and address to be published in the book? Also, it was the White Pages, btw.