If the government already chose a 9-digit 'secret' number that can be used to pay taxes and get tax refunds and do pretty much any other sensitive communication, is it the onus of private industry to supersede it?
Experian failed, but the system was designed to fail. You can already get all of this important info with this number, so there was little incentive to create a new system and ensure that every American participated in it. Their operation was also entrenched by government credit reporting acts, pretty much setting in stone how things are and preventing innovation. This was a pseudo-government 'industry', not a free market system with new startups frequently joining.
* Government Issued IDs -- Most situations. Police Tickets, Court issues, etc. etc. Usually your driver's license. This is effectively a security token, since its illegal to make illegitimate copies of a Government issued ID (although cryptography should be used in future ID efforts IMO)
* Tax PIN number and Last year's tax refund -- Pay taxes and do tax refunds. There's a ton of OTHER information you need to submit with your taxes to get it processed. The SSN is purely the "username" for your taxes, it isn't the "password".
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In the free market? People use SSN as a password, because free market doesn't give a care about you or decent security practices. Or at least, Experian doesn't (and they're a free market actor)
> Tax PIN number and Last year's tax refund -- Pay taxes and do tax refunds
For individuals, your TIN (Taxpayer Identification Number) defaults to your SSN, and you do not need the previous year's return to file taxes. Not sure where you are coming up with these imaginative claims, and I find it somewhat concerning how confident you feel in bureaucratic design decisions.
Experian failed, but the system was designed to fail. You can already get all of this important info with this number, so there was little incentive to create a new system and ensure that every American participated in it. Their operation was also entrenched by government credit reporting acts, pretty much setting in stone how things are and preventing innovation. This was a pseudo-government 'industry', not a free market system with new startups frequently joining.