@academicalnerd Thinking about the way people identify each other is definitely one of the most important topics to understanding how to stay safe in the modern world, I think! I've been thinking about the US social security system and how they give you a piece cardboard for your personal identification (for the convenience of decreasing retirement), lol It's pretty much the opposite side of what you're talking about, I think, the idea that identity is way too important to either not try at all (like us), or on the other end, to let it get overly centralized by a controling entity (is how I am personally reacting to these thoughts)

Mastodon gives me an idea for a decentralized, blockchain voting system (and campaign platform), lol Everyone gets a number when they sign up, they can change their number whenever they want, everyone can see each other's votes and it's only concealed by the fact that people can't know each other's numbers for certain (but you always know people would see the fraud, if the news stations played loops of the results, because people could see their own number being. publicly counted)

Lol, eventually, every human on Earth is born with their thumb in their mouth and a Mastodon account😂

At least then the convenience would be just talking about one's self; It'd be based on the idea that a citizen's access to society should be based on the most inherent right as a citizen -- or second because moving should be allowed, too, instead of being tracked just to get to your job or something😖