If you’re wondering what authoritarian technology futures look like, here’s an example from North Cyprus. This is a message from The Information Technologies and Communication Authority telling me I can use my device (IMEI number sent in the clear in the text) for 90 days without registering it (something I first encountered in Turkey years ago). Also note, they took a copy of my passport while buying the prepaid SIM card (something they also do in Belgium).
The dystopian future is now.
@aral in germany, you also need to show an ID to get a sim-card. This has been the case since july 2017 https://www.heise.de/ct/artikel/nachgehakt-Prepaid-Mobilfunkkarten-nur-noch-gegen-Ausweis-3757514.html
This reminds me of some handy advice I found the other day about preparing some copies of identity cards yourself, to avoid identity fraud.
There are some personal ID's to cover (like in Netherlands the Government Service Number, or BSN), and you might even cover your photograph in some cases.
Then when handing over your copy, you add a note describing who its for and a date.
See government advice (in Dutch): https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/identiteitsfraude/vraag-en-antwoord/fraude-voorkomen-met-kopie-id-bewijs
@humanetech @aral the idea of noting who I gave the copy to is a great one, though.
