I consider the NRIC number to be a useful public information - to identify a person. It is similar to the plate number of a car.
I find it unnecessary and unproductive to keep the NRIC number secret. We are losing the advantage of this useful features of a unique, state issued ID.
If the NRIC number is a secret, why should the government allow commercial building guards to demand that the visitors' NRICs be handled to them for safekeeping or for scanning of the details?
Why are we taking so much trouble to hide useful information while allowing the information to be passed to third parties. It is a contradiction.
What can a crook do with the NRIC number?
Sure, they can use it to impersonate another person. But they can also impersonate a person by using his name, right?
If I tell somebody that I am Lee Kuan Yew (while he was alive) and they accept it and give me $1 million dollar, they are being naive and stupid, right?
Anyway, impersonating another person is a crime. It is also a crime to impersonate any government officer.
If a business wishes to accept the NRIC number, they do it at their own risk. A sensible business will want to verify the photo on the NRIC with the face of the person.
A business is given a unique number UEN. This number serves the purpose of identifying a business, just like the NRIC number is used to identify a person. The UEN is used publicly for the business to receive payment using PayNow.
We do have many contradictory practices in Singapore. Is someone who is in charge using their brains and common sense to ask the right questions? Are we really a Smart Nation or a non thinking one?
http://tklcloud.com/Conv/feedback2.aspx?id=159
I find it unnecessary and unproductive to keep the NRIC number secret. We are losing the advantage of this useful features of a unique, state issued ID.
If the NRIC number is a secret, why should the government allow commercial building guards to demand that the visitors' NRICs be handled to them for safekeeping or for scanning of the details?
Why are we taking so much trouble to hide useful information while allowing the information to be passed to third parties. It is a contradiction.
What can a crook do with the NRIC number?
Sure, they can use it to impersonate another person. But they can also impersonate a person by using his name, right?
If I tell somebody that I am Lee Kuan Yew (while he was alive) and they accept it and give me $1 million dollar, they are being naive and stupid, right?
Anyway, impersonating another person is a crime. It is also a crime to impersonate any government officer.
If a business wishes to accept the NRIC number, they do it at their own risk. A sensible business will want to verify the photo on the NRIC with the face of the person.
A business is given a unique number UEN. This number serves the purpose of identifying a business, just like the NRIC number is used to identify a person. The UEN is used publicly for the business to receive payment using PayNow.
We do have many contradictory practices in Singapore. Is someone who is in charge using their brains and common sense to ask the right questions? Are we really a Smart Nation or a non thinking one?
http://tklcloud.com/Conv/feedback2.aspx?id=159
1 comment:
Over the past few decades, the NRIC number includes the persons year of birth.
I believe the main reason NRIC number is kept secret is due to the need of certain age-sensitive segment of the population who does not want their age to be known.
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