[pp.int.general] Big Brother in NL?

[Richard Stallman]

    Yes, but the other aspect of this reduction card is that it is *personal*. 

I understand that that is how it works now.  It does not have to be
done that way.

But even supposing it works that way, it could be made anonymous in
practice.  After all, how does the system check who is using the card?
Electronically, it cannot tell if you lent your card to someone else
to use.  The only way it could tell is if a person checks it and
checks your identity.

So let's suppose they do such checks once in a while.  You could have to
write your name and birthdate on the card before you use it.  This will
be enough to make those checks possible.  But they won't know what
card number corresponds to you.

Of course, it is also possible for the government to build the system
so it does not record card numbers.

It is also possible to offer a slightly different deal.  For instance,
they could say it is ok to lend the card to someone else, and charge a
little more for it.  That is a lot like a car, which you could also
lend to someone else.