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Comment by tjoff | Hacker News Reader

There sure are, just because some parts of society requires identification doesn't mean all do.

No, almost all parts of society require identification, you could say it's a fundamental principle (Western democratic) societies are built upon. Your freedom is based on me being held accountable to respect it.

Anonymity is protected in special situations such as elections, communications, whistleblowing etc.

> No, almost all parts of society require identification

Do you have a source on that? I can think of FAR more parts of society that don't require identification than parts that do. It feels impossible that "almost all parts of society require identification" in a world of infinite possibilities.

I put some pants on 10 minutes ago without identifying myself. Then I left my house without telling anyone. Then I walked down the street and never had to identify myself. The mall I visited didn't require ID. Finally, the McDonalds I went to accepted cash and I didn't have to prove who I am.

Presuming what you claim in the last paragraph is true, maybe it’s a fun thought experiment to ponder how much anonymity you’ve pierced. How many other people in the world today did as you have done? Now constrain by people who post on hn.

Why would my last paragraph be false?

Which one of these activities do you think I'm lying about and required ID?

No idea what your angle is but if you break the law any expectation of being anonymous goes out the window. But that is an voluntary act.

Just because something doesn’t require it doesn’t mean it’s a right.

There is no (general) right to anonymity, but there is, at least in some Western countries, a right to privacy.

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