PRIVACY REGULATIONS

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                         SANDY SANDFORT
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C'punks,

Michael Conlen adding to comments by Adam Shostack and Tim May
wrote:

    With your name and address someone can find out what
    your date of birth is. In many states that is enough for
    a drivers licens... ...name and dob...

Federal agencies such as the FBI, and most if not all states, use
your NAME and DATE OF BIRTH as their primary means of locating
you in their databases.  When it comes to being charged with
giving false information to the authorities, it could be argues
that you "accidentally" misremembered or forgot your SSN.  It
would be a real stretch, though, to assert that you got your own
name or birthday wrong.

If you are stopped by the police, you are required to identify
yourself if asked.  Is your DOB required?  May you decline to
answer that question if it is not relevant to the stop?  (To
drive a car, to buy booze, you much be of requisite age.  Maybe
you could say, "I'm over 21, officer.")  I don't know if it's
ever been tested in court.


 S a n d y

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>>If you are stopped by the police, you are required to identify
>>yourself if asked.

This is not true.  If you're driving a car you are required to have a
license.  If you're just walking around, you're not required to have a
name, or to tell it.  A cop has to have a probable cause to arrest
you, and not giving your name doesn't provide it.  If you're surly, a
cop can take you in, but if you politely decline to identify yourself,
the cop has to work harder to find a reason to do anything.  Just say
"Officer, someone is waiting for me.  May I go now?"

This has been tested in court.  There was a black lawyer several years
ago who liked to walk a lot.  He lived in one of the fashionable
neighborhoods in LA, and occasionally got picked up becasue he "looked
like he didn't belong there".  He sued them and won in court every
time, and got the police to leave him alone.  [No, I don't have
references.]

Chris