”identity theft” is the biggest pr win since “jaywalking”. Nothing has been stolen from me, I am still me. Someone claiming to have my credit history took money from a lender and they believed them.
In the form of government issued IDs and lately some governments even provide something digital.
The US government doesn't provide that.
No ID is required for domestic travel, even at big airports. Just be pleasant and explain that you misplaced it. I have misplaced ID several times, and only once I signed a piece of paper which roughly said that I am I because I say so.
They checkpoint all the thoroughfares near Mexico and I reminded my Spanish fiancée to carry her passport as we traveled domestically, and I was completely correct.
Law enforcement usually has ways of checking ID by radio/computer, so it may be a short stop, but still.
> On May 7, 2025, U.S. travelers must be REAL ID compliant to board domestic flights and access certain federal facilities.
Source: https://www.dhs.gov/real-id
Normally, I'd have had my backup travel ID/credit card/cash kit but, hey, this was a last minute couple night trip so I went light.
Figured that was that. But as it turned out really wasn't a major issue much to my surprise.
What was an issue was getting checked into the hotel I had been able to find for the event near the airport (Travelodge). I even had a photo company security badge, credit cards, etc. Eventually they let me, with great reluctance pay cash, which fortunately fleabag was cheap enough that my withdrawal limit covered. Thought I was going to have to call SV friends and find somewhere to sleep--or at least pay some ridiculous amount for the last room at some hotel where I belonged to their loyalty program. But TSA was actually not a real issue.
Said DHS policy is not infringing on your right to travel. You can still hire a private jet or fly yourself. The airline companies will just simply refuse to fly you, which they have the right to do.
What?
It's the REAL ID Act of 2005. 8 USC 1101. It's absolutely a law. (Also 49 USC 30301).
That isn't true:
> What Happens If You Don’t Register a Birth?
> By law, newborns must be registered within 10 days of their birth.
> In terms of legality, not registering the birth of a child is a violation of the law and a punishable crime. Depending on the state, the parents may be fined, charged with imprisonment, or have to face other legal consequences.
The US is actually insane about how little identification they require from residents and also not great about how expensive it can be to acquire certain forms of ID.
I'm curious how one obtains a US passport without a birth certificate or SSN.
(But yes, issuance of a passport is "optional").
Really helpful to have birth listed in a couple church public registers.
For baby passport, basically the parents attest to the child being born as American along with "hey look at this public record". And a SSN is apparently never required and State Dept should probably not being relying on a tax agency number. I mistakenly transposed and messed up the digits for the SSN box ten years ago and the passport arrived. So they didn't even do a lookup on it.
There are administrative rules all over the 50 States. Most don't apply to typical Americans but nobody knows that or they don't care because 'merica#1.
Oof, this absolutely reeks of sovereign citizen bullshit.
How to obtain a US passport with neither a SSN nor a birth certificate is apparently left as an exercise for the reader...
Leading with Washington, where I reside and work as a healthcare provider...
RCW 70.58A.100 (https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=70.58A&full=tru...)
Specifically subsection 5:
> For an unattended live birth not reported under subsection (4) of this section, a report of live birth and an affidavit stating the facts of the birth must be filed with the department within ten calendar days of the live birth.
(whereby unattended means 'with no healthcare provider, midwife, or facility representative present or applicable'.)
(For bonus, RCW 70.58A.120 captures "delayed reporting of a live birth" and the "establishing of facts" around the birth.)
> How would they know for home birth
I was going to offer the comparison to driving, where "they" don't know you're driving without a license until there is some form of or need for government interaction. But I fear this will lead to some comment about traveling versus driving.
> and would they arrest the baby?
This is fatuous. "Depending on the state, the parents may be fined, charged with imprisonment, or have to face other legal consequences." (emphasis mine).
If I had a wife, I would ensure that she had all the rights and privileges of being my wife, and not have to jump through some ridiculous hoops made of red tape because some Sovereign Citizen told us it was optional to go see the JoP.
The only one you can't really dodge is a birth certificate.
The bank/lender/etc is the victim here. But somehow I have to take the fall. Well, next time they should ask me before lending money to "me".
> The bank/lender/etc is the victim here.
Actually you are the victim: you are a victim of the bank/lender/etc and they should be liable to compensate you with punitive damages for your any negative consequences to you.
If the bank or lender considers this unfair, let them try to recoup the cost of compensating you by suing the alleged fraudster who they claim "stole your identity" — but not before they compensate you first.
You are the victim of libel by the banks & credit agencies. They're the victims of fraud by the person(s) they lent the money to. There's no need (other than to protect the banks & credit agencies) to bundle both crimes together, call them "identity theft", and blame it on the individual victim!