The Ixquick search engine results appear normal, but underneath each link description a Proxy link appears. Clicking it gets the website through an anonymous proxy. The page will load slower when viewed through the proxy, but if privacy is important, then you probably won’t mind the wait.
The search results aren’t as good as you would get from the large search engines, but the proxy thing is quick, handy, and just simply cool. The problem I see is that it only displays an artificially small set of results for your search. For example, 64 unique results selected from at least 1,121,619,121 matching results for “intel”. You only get 64 hits — nothing more.
Question #5 is, “What is your Social Security Number or Social Insurance Number?”
The SSN in the USA and the Social Insurance Number (SIN) in Canada are national identifiers.
In Canada, it is rare to find somebody with two Social Insurance Numbers (SIN). Where this happens it may be a case of clerical error or a reference to a former SIN appropriated by an identity thief. Both reasons are extremely rare. In thirty years I have only encountered this once. The Canadian SIN is used as an identifier less than the SSN is in the USA. In Canada it is primarily used as an identifier between the person and government.
In the USA, the case is somewhat different. When searching through database aggregators such as IRB, it is common to find a subject referenced with two or three Social Security Numbers (SSN). Here are some of the reasons a person may show-up with multiple SSN’s:
- a wife’s or child’s SSN could end up with father’s name
- a parent’s SSN could show up with a child
- the subject bought something with someone else and the SSNs could end up with each other’s name
- the database producer is relating several SSN’s to one address
- an error by whoever entered the data
You need to understand these national identifiers and be able to determine if they are valid or not, and determine if the person using the number is the person to whom it was issued.
I’m not sure that I believe all the stories about unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles, but I do know what should stop this from becoming a disaster, and so does Tony Scotti, who has trained security drivers for decades. Please check-out his article on this topic.
Where were you born?
This is Question #4.
This may tell you that the subject immigrated to your country and may not be a citizen. A citizen of another country may have loyalties that pose a security risk or the country of origin may have a culture with a history of producing criminals. This person may not have a legal right to reside in your country. It is important to understand these things for a variety of reasons. For example, an employer may be at risk of prosecution for employing an illegal immigrant. In a fraud, the proceeds of the crime may be sent to another country.
What was your name at birth and have you ever changed your name?
This is Question #3
If the person now has a different name than at birth, then you have to ask more questions about why the change occurred. If the person chose to change his or her name, then you need to learn why this occurred, when it occurred, and most importantly, where it was done if you need to confirm the legal name change. You may also have to search for legal name changes in a variety of jurisdictions. It is not uncommon for a person to change his name legally in one jurisdiction while living in another.
In many common-law countries you may, theoretically, change your name without legal intervention if you do so for no improper purpose and the name is yours permanently after seven years. However, the bureaucracies in charge of identifying documents don’t exactly make this easy for obvious reasons.
What is your birth date?
This is question #2.
The name is only part of a person’s identifying information. The date of birth represents a universal identifier everywhere in the world, but it is often wrong or misleading. Did you know that some cultures often use the date of conception as a birth date? In America before the sixties “sexual revolution” dates of birth were often changed to conceal a premarital pregnancy.
Some people start using a latter date of birth to join the military and keep that date of birth throughout their lives. Some use an earlier or latter date of birth to appear more attractive in the job market. Others get younger every few years.
A person’s identity is composed of many components. It originates with one’s parents at birth and develops unto death and beyond.
What is your Name?
This is question #1 and more difficult to answer than you might think.
You will encounter problems with aliases, middle names, nick names, and generational designators. You will have to deal with maiden names, and name changes, legal or otherwise. You must also actively look for alternate names while conducting your research.
Different spelling variations of the name may all be pronounced the same. You may have to do some research to find the variations using the Penguin Dictionary of Names and other sources that specialize in names originating in different countries.
Evaluate likely search results by looking at how common the name is. In the USA the census data is used to generate a list of surnames in order of popularity. No such list could be found for Canada.
Names in in Arabic, Urdu, and many other languages should be written in the native script by the subject. You may find that his name translates into something different than what he is telling you it is in English.
Ten questions to ask about a person’s identity:
- What is your name?
- What is your birth date?
- What was your name at birth and have you ever changed your name?
- Where were you born?
- What is your Social Security Number or Social Insurance Number?
- Where do you live?
- What are your phone numbers?
- What is your passport number?
- Where was it issued?
- What evidence do you have that this is all true?
In following articles I will look at each of these questions in more detail.
The four-ounce, $30USD, Boogie Board runs on a watch battery and mimics the feel of putting pen to paper. To erase, simply press a button. It is a 8.75 x 5.5 inch thin plastic slate that has the same functionality as the Magic Slate (it doesn’t store what you write) except that it uses LCD technology. However, the battery that powers the Boogie Board is not replaceable. Once it’s depleted, the board is useless. According to the Boogie Board site, that’s around 50,000 erase cycles.
Please note:
I won’t tell you why I’ve been so interested in the Magic Slate, 18th Century PDA, or this gadget, but I’m sure you might be able to imagine some uses for them.
If Moleskines are a throwback to a time before PDA’s, then 18th century version of the PDA is the pocket notebook made of sturdy brass stock with 4 old ivory pages and a pencil can be written on with pencil, smudged off with your finger, and used over and over again. It closes into a 1-1/8 inches by 4-1/2 inches by 3/16 inch thick package. It seems like an 18th century version of the Magic Slate.