this post was submitted on 08 Feb 2024
266 points (97.8% liked)
InsanePeopleFacebook
2656 readers
275 users here now
Screenshots of people being insane on Facebook. Please censor names/pics of end users in screenshots. Please follow the rules of lemmy.world
founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
It's not even that. I have one, but it's little more than a translation card with a fancy-looking stamp. You still need the original drivers license with it for it to be legal
I thought you were supposed to have your driver's license with you at all times when driving a vehicle anyway. So I don't see what the ID card does.
As opposed to a passport, it is the size of a banking card so it fits into a wallet. You can also count on every adult citizen of the EU having one, and they are supposed to carry it everywhere they might need it (the alternative is a passport or being ready to go to the police station if identification is required, which is obviously more hassle).
As opposed to a driver's license, it is held by all citizens above 15, regardless of their ability to drive. (You don't have non-drivers in the US?)
As opposed to a SSN, which is an immutable random 7 digits, it optionally contains a chip and comes with a (changeable) PIN so you can use a smart card reader and PIN (+ optionally 3FA) to automatically and securely authenticate yourself for government services,, medical records, banking etc. in person or online.
A non-driver would get a state issued ID card which contains all the same personally identifying information but instead of being both a license to drive and proof of ID it is just proof of ID. The ubiquity of driving here leads a lot of people to use "driver's license" when they mean "state issued picture ID" since it is a form of state issued picture ID so many have but it is not the only one available.