A weird thing happened to me recently during a traffic stop. The cop demanded the usual stuff – license, registration. But then he demanded one more thing – my Social Security number.

Under duress,  I gave it to him.   

Maybe you remember when Social Security numbers were “not to be used for purposes of identification.” It actually said so, right there on the card.

Well, it used to.

So much for that. As usual, per the frog in the ever-warming pot of water, we do not notice the change until it is too late to change anything. Against the State: An ... Rockwell Jr., Llewelly... Best Price: $5.02 Buy New $5.52 (as of 11:35 UTC - Details)

Our SS number is now the de facto – and in a very real sense, the de jure – national ID. De facto, because it’s almost impossible to transact any business without one. De jure, because the law increasingly does require it for purposes of identification, even though the original law said it never would be used for such purposes.

But why be worried (as opposed to merely irritated) about being forced to cough up one’s Social Security number over a routine traffic stop?

Let’s count the ways.

First, there’s very real potential for identity theft – possibly, by the cop who issued you the ticket … or perhaps a quasi-cop (i.e., a clerk) down at the cop shop who has access to the paperwork. These people may or may not be trustworthy, but we know forcertain the government is an epicenter of untrustworthiness. Of incompetence. Especially when it comes to the handling of information that might cause problems if it falls into the wrong hands. Battlefield America: T... John W. Whitehead Best Price: $10.95 Buy New $18.80 (as of 10:15 UTC - Details) This point need not be elaborated any further than it is necessary to belabor the dangers of walking down a slippery sidewalk.

Keep in mind that since your Social Security number is, in fact, used for purposes of identification – and much more, besides (including credit history) its leakage could cause you problems you don’t even want to know about. And now, it’s written on the back of a traffic ticket that’s probably accessible to scores of potential no-good-niks down at the cop shop.

The other problem relates to the government’s money-lust.

They want your sosh because it’ll be easier to sic debt collectors on you in the event you welsh on what you “owe.” Apparently, there are crafty devils out there with fake licenses who used to “get away” with not handing over the money the government thinks it’s entitled to just snatch from you. But it’s harder to pass off a fake Social Security number – and it’s also much easier to get you to pay up. Even those who do not fear the DMV and its points – or the insurance mafia – will usually cringe when contemplating the prospect of a black mark showing up on their credit report.

The SSN number makes it almost impossible to evade Uncle. And that is precisely the point, from their point-of-view.

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