My mom laminated mine when I was like 6 years old. It still has my 6 year-old, childish signature on it. Every time I use it someone says “you’re not supposed to laminate these”, and then they accept it anyways. So who’s the fool now?
My ex’s dad laminated his whole ass birth certificate. He had a bitch of a time fixing that lmao.
Though I think people ask for birth certificate less often than they do our SIN (and also our SIN cards are actual literal cards in Canada not just pieces of paper).
I always thought my birth certificate was the little vanity one with my feet prints on it. I learned it isn’t when I actually needed a birth certificate for the first time. Since I live in an entirely different State now it was a bit of a PITA to get the real one.
They stopped issuing cards and just print it on a full 8.5"x11" piece of paper now actually lol.
Not to defend the social security number system (because it’s terrible for unique identification of individuals and when it was created it wasn’t even intended to be used for that purpose) but you’re not supposed to carry it around with you all the time. It’s supposed to be in a drawer/safe/fireproof bag with the rest of your important documents, and only brought out when you need it.
Why make it a card then? If it’s meant to be stored as a document then it should be the size of an envelope, or a standard A4 sheet.
I keep mine attached to the envelope sized paper it came on. But it shouldn’t be a card shape, that encourages people to carry it. My grandpa always carried his.
Don’t mention A4 paper, it scares the Americans. If any of them could read, they would be very afraid right now.
A4
Is that a type of rifle? I’ll take 12!
You’ll get either 8 ½ or 11 and you’ll like it.
Using entirely reasonable standards that most of the rest of the world has adopted is too hard for us for some reason.
Today I’m going to use paper to feel superior to someone else.
To be fair, simply not having to live in the US already gives that rush.
Amateur, we professionals don’t have to use anything for that
This week on “Things Non-Americans Think Americans Don’t Know About!”
Right?
Like just because we export all our media to you (because it’s better) and make fun of our stereotypes in that media, doesn’t mean that most of us are like that. Believe it or not we actually have cool stuff that’s uniquely American.
And the reason you see Kraft singles is because we don’t want to share our BBQ with you.
export all our media to you (because it’s better)
Lmao. Get back to me when you’ve got something like Taskmaster, Would I Lie To You, or QI.
We can’t do everything for you guys. We’re holding down the imperial system almost single handedly. Help a brother out.
America has the Squid Games reality show and Mr Beast. They’re kind of like Taskmaster if the point of Taskmaster was dangling life changing money in front of poor people.
They’re nothing like Taskmaster then lmao.
You’re proving my point though? Those all look like C rate game shows that show up in the worst time slots here in the states.
If you said Doctor who, like 15 years ago, then I’d give you a solid maybe.
look like
Yeah that’s an American problem. Preferring a glossy looking garbage over something non-glamorous but substantial.
FYI I’m neither American nor European.
American here, you’re straight up wrong. We have no equivalent to their panel shows. Comparing them to game shows is like comparing open heart surgery to being stabbed.
Hey now, I can read…but, what’s this A4 paper you speak of?
8/11.5 but more metric
8/11.5
Not sure if a joke or an actual paper size
Actually a size. More commonly referred to as “letter” sized. It’s 8x11.5 inches, which is pretty close to A4, but it’ll confuse printers if you mix the 2 up.
but it’ll confuse printers if you mix the 2 up.
So far all printers I’ve seen can switch between both. The real problem is your Writer/Word document, because after the slight reformatting it’s now all over the place.
It’s actually 8.5x11 not 8x11.5
sips tea and extends pinky
Am I doing metric right?
Actually no, the Brits shit on us for it but by most approaches they’re actually even worse than we are
The bruvs be usin’ STONE out here and acting like they get to crack wise
More Square root, you mean!
You mean 8.5x11
You mean 8.5/11?
It’s a size of paper with an aspect ratio of 1:√2, and the short edge that is 21cm long. The long edge will then be 21√2 = 29.7cm. The aspect ratio has the interesting property that it can be halved and doubled while remaining constant.
This has been your ISO fact of the day.
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ISO 7304-2:2008 defines a standard for cooking spaghetti. Subsection 3.9 “Completeness” closely resembles “al denté” but isn’t true al denté; as 3.9 states “no white core visible” when a noodle is inspected crosswise with a razor blade. Al denté phase is sensed via the teeth for texture differential of the inner and outer part of a spaghetti. No agreement has been reached by international consortium of Italian food preparers and dentists as to which tooth is to be used. Thus, the standard must be reviewed every 5 years by sensory analysis.
Idk. Maybe because there’s only a few pieces of info on it. Someone would say “why do you need to use a whole sheet of paper for just this?”
Every time ya try to fix the NatID problem though suddenly it’s a surveillance state system and not just an efficient nexus for federal services and permissions.
There are some people who don’t want a national ID system because they think that’s like a biblical prophecy. Somehow those people are still allowed to operate heavy machinery.
Some people don’t want it because they don’t want a functional government.
Ain’t that the truth. Fuckin’ lunatics.
That’s the thing. At this point, anything that could replace ssn cards will be much more technical and much more invasive.
No, it would be less technical since it would cut down the number of cards you have to carry around, and be less invasive since it would drastically raise the difficulty of identity theft
Eh… You guys all use credit cards anyway
They voluntarily put webcams in their houses with several known security issues which transmit everything open in the cloud. And they purposefully have a listening device which transmits to Amazon whatever they talk about in order to be able to listen to music without having to use a mouse or tap on a screen.
But having an ID with a photo on it? That’s where they put the line
oooo yeah my ID card is so invasive, it has my birth date and a photo on it!
Does it even matter when data brokers already know everything about you and happily sell that info?
People freak about national IDs while happily giving all their info to websites like amazon or facebook. It’s insane.
We have the same issue in Australia, and your driver’s licence basically fills the same purpose.
But honestly, we should just have a national ID system, and just make it optional, like a driver’s licence already is… (You just get asked for other forms of ID)
I’ve lost my place to stay more than I’ve lost my wallet.
For real. Mine’s about 40 years old and still looks pretty mint.
It’s also techinally illegal to use for identification unless it’s being used for tax purposes. Yet so many people illegally ask for it and barely anyone protests. https://www.justice.gov/opcl/overview-privacy-act-1974-2020-edition/ssn
Somebody laminated my birth certificate. But what are they going to do about it, unborn me? Wait… will they?
Edit: What if somebody laminates my death certificate? 😭
That’s how zombies are created.
What is
deadlaminated may never die.“Comimg soon: RE-LAMINATOR!”
We’ve really gotta regulate these laminators.
Never going to happen. The lamination lobby has deep pockets.
They could make you go get another one when you try to use it, which is a pain in the ass.
How often are you even using your death certificate? I mean, yeah, the discount at Disneyworld is a sweet deal, but otherwise?
Late but I think it’ll depend where you are and what security features birth certificates where you are have. Where I am, the paper has a unique feel to it and also has one of those little hologram type sticker things on the back. So I imagine laminating it would cause issues in official circumstances where they want to feel the paper. Also not sure if it’d affect the sticker things or not, but the heat from the laminator could cause damage if done wrong
But if the BDM department where you are is lazy and literally just print your info onto an official looking piece of paper, I’d argue the point. I don’t see what laminating it would do in that situation, although when it comes to government departments, they don’t tend to be very flexible. If you were just showing it to verify your identity or working rights for a job or something I doubt anybody would refuse it in either situation
I’ve heard blur is not destructive. Please use a paintbrush on 100% opacity if you do this
When I post pictures with blurred information, I replace the info with something trollish and then blur it. Nobody appreciated that so far. :(
Depends on the kind of blur. Some kinds can indeed be almost perfectly removed if you know the used blurring function, others are destructive. But, yes, don’t take that chance. Always delete/paint over sensitive information.
Source: we had to do just that in a course I took a long time ago.
I prefer sampling the surroundings, typing out a different number or text over it, then blurring with a non destructive effect.
Name: Phil McCracken
SSN: EAT-MY-NUTS
Just for anyone who tries
Signature: …
Ah man, I remember when they caught some pedo creep who used a non-destructive blur on the CSAM materials he produced that included his face. So satisfying.
He only spiral blurred his face… So they just did it in the opposite direction. It was beyond stupid
wouldn’t you also need to know in what kind of pattern the blur was applied. I am sure if you do it multiple times starting from multiple non identical partitioning of the region, it will be impossible.
You’re severely underestimating the power of weaponized autism.
Always paint over sensitive information.
Not in PDF tho. There, the stroke is saved in metadata…
I’ve switched to a mosaic blur. Looks neat and always destructive.
Actually not always, there is a script that can recover text from mosaic’d screenshots if the font and pixellation technique is known. I just use a fake mosaic – the easiest way is to paste a bitmap of non-confidential text from elsewhere in the screenshot and then apply the filter.
Thanks for that.
I’m glad I use really huge pixels though. Would be hard to crack these:
Why do people downvote posts like this? What’s the problem? It’s funny, true, and in the right community.
Some people just downvote for weird reasons, so I figure it’s not worth worrying about. Someone once told me they were downvoting every post I share that has bright colors because they use dark mode… Lol
I always flip a coin for whether I upvote or downvote. It’s not really about trying to make a decision, I’m just trying to get my thumbs in shape for that thumb wrestling tournament I have coming up.
They were letting you know you have brite ideas!
Sometimes I feel an odd catharsis from simply existing on the internet, and this comment captures a lot of why
Sometimes, I try to swipe to go back and accidentally up or downvote things.
Because they are being stupid. You are not supposed to carry it with you. You only take it when you need to for something like the DMV. Otherwise it should just be filed away. A social security card is NOT ID.
Thanks for the link! The last time I looked into replacing my long lost SSA card the government was much less “online” and it was going to involve spending money and traveling long distances. Thanks to you, I’m expecting a letter from SSA in the next few weeks to confirm my ID, and then I’ll get a new card issued.
Lack of fiber in the diet
Except it’s not true. Social Security cards are useless for identification purposes. I haven’t seen my SS card in 30 years. I’ve never been asked for it or needed it in any way for at least that long. 
Some people just need a reason to hate and avoid any personal accountability. They’ll take anything they can get, they’ve had a shitty day/year/life and somehow beating up on a faceless stranger feels morally acceptable to them. The truth is, they are in fact just awful people, looking to justify their shitty behavior by correcting grammar or downvoting a complete stranger. Trying their damndest to avoid looking in the mirror. Whilst the rest of us humans, have a shitty day but roll with it. Because if you can’t let it roll off, you will never be happy.
Yes, however
they are in fact just
awfulhurt peopleSome are less familiar with kindness than others.
It’s funny, true, and in the right community.
That’s never stopped anybody before.
Seriously, more than once I’ve posted something completely benign, innocuous, and appropriate in a niche community that gets maybe one post a month, and that post receives a score of -10 or something. I don’t understand it, but if you want niche communities to thrive, you have to quit caring about downvotes.
Personally, I think that they should only have upvotes, because downvotes are a negative experience for users, and they’re too easy to game. You can have bots, sock puppets, you name it. And having a post with a negative score tells you nothing about why it has a negative score. Was it offensive? Who knows?
Some servers only allow upvotes. Some only show local downvotes, so it at least minimizes their impact.
Fun fact, there is a lifetime limit for the number of replacements you can get for these (I forget but I think it’s like 12), if you lose too many no more social security card for you
It’s not impossible, just harder. They’re going to need documentation for it.
But SSN is the root of all identity documentation, except birth certificate I guess
Well it’s more like proving you need it issued again. Although they are going to ask for supporting ID documents too.
Shit.
True story if you run out of attempts they give you a poncho and deport you to Australia
I’m getting “wallet” vibes which should absolutely not be where one keeps important documents. I had mine in a shoe box under my bed as a teen and it survived unscathed.
Heck, I have a 15 year old free pizza stamp card from a shop that permanently closed in better condition. Haha!
Edit: someone came through and downvoted every comment for the heck of it? Haha! Youuu get an updoot, and yooou get an updoot… etc.
Hopefully you’ll get to cash in that stamp card one day! Give it another 15 years.
I got mine in 1986 and it pretty much looks like the picture.
Fun side note: back then, you didn’t get a social security number until you were old enough to get a job. I was fourteen when I got my social security number.
My wife found out you can get one earlier as long as your parents sign off on it. They then used her social security to scam some loans while she’s a child, which fucked her up later when she moves out on her own and tried to get an apartment.
This is extremely common, and one of the reasons that using SSN for credit reports is a horrible practice. The only way for someone to dispute the debts is to report their parents to the authorities, which is a horrible position to be in when you’re freshly 18. The real solution would be a simple age check, to verify if the person applying for the loan is actually 18. But that
is apparently too difficultwould prevent banks from saddling literal children with mountains of debt.
LOL, no. I was born in '71 and my parents got me one immediately. I remember them showing me as a child and thinking, “Why do I care about this?”
Good for you and your parents, but it wasn’t common until 1986 when Reagan’s new tax code suddenly required social security numbers for dependents. It was 1987 when they started rolling it out as part of the birth at the hospital.
Your lol no tone implies I don’t remember my own teen years.
You said we didn’t get ss numbers until we got jobs and we said no.
Yeah, I was born in 80 and have had it since birth.
Same.
I mean, for sure you could. In my country would didn’t get an ID card/number until you needed to get a job or travel by plane. I got mine when I was 12. But nowadays babies always get their I’d card after birth.
Why are you not allowed to laminate it?
That would make it much easier to fake it
How?
They can’t run it under a tap and see if it falls apart like a real one
That’s a joke right, not something American authorities do?
Yes. It’s a joke. But it is a special type of cardboard-like paper that they use, which is crappy to save money.
The explanation I’ve heard, is if you lose it (outside), you want it to decompress; not float around eternally for someone to fake your Identity with.
Someone explain to me why we can’t laminate it.
Security features used to verify the validity get covered when you add a plastic film.
I’ve been asked for the number many times, of course, but I didn’t think I’ve ever had to show my physical card to someone in my entire life.
Every job I’ve had has made a copy of the card for payroll/tax purposes.
And this is where the weirdness starts. I’m in Canada and early in I learned from a relative who was in government and finances told me that your SSN is only meant for the government and government services and nothing else.
Banks, companies or corporations do not need to see your SSN no matter what they say. The number was only ever supposed to be used with the government, taxation, government benefits and services.
Banks and companies just started using it as a shortcut to identify people and connect them to government services and taxation. But it was never a requirement, no matter what they said. It’s the banks and the companies job to verify who you are.
I started my bank accounts as a teen in the 90s and with a bit of help, I was able to start them without a submitting a SSN. Every job I had, I actively refused to submit a SSN and told them why which with a bit of arguing they agreed. Funny part is, even though I never submitted one, the bank and every major employer I had already had the number anyway.
Your employer pays a portion of your social security taxes and generally withholds your portion to give to the government on your behalf. How do they correctly do that without your social security number?
From the link you’ve provided.
Documents that may be used under “List C” of the I-9 to establish employment eligibility include:
- A U.S. Social Security card issued by the Social Security Administration
- birth certificate issued by the U.S. State Department
- Etc
I’ve scanned my driver’s license but never my social security card!
There are no security features on a ss card.
https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0110201060
One or more of the following security features appear on SSN cards issued since 10/31/1983:
• Tamper-proof background
• Color-shifting ink
• Intaglio printing in some areas on the front of the card
• Latent image on the face of the card visible only when viewed at specific angles
• Red fluorescent nine-digit alphanumeric number on back (beginning February 1996)
• Intaglio microtext in signature line (when magnified, the line is actually letters spelling out SOCIAL SECURITY)
• Yellow, pink, and blue planchettes (small discs) randomly displayed on the front and back of the card
• Anti-copy pattern that is discernable when the card is photocopied
• For original cards, a dash in each column on the same line as the SSN
• Date the card is issued [i.e., Cycle Date (CYD) from the Numident] is printed under the signature line on the face of the card (beginning April 2007).
That’s interesting, I had no idea they modernized it.
But none of that is on in the photo. Mine doesn’t have that either. (Pre 1983)
Same. But mine still says not to laminate.
So glad I was born in ‘82 so I could avoid all this security stuff
I’ve had to provide the physical card at the start of most jobs I’ve had. What’s that form you fill out? I-9?
Looking at the list of required documents, I may have used a passport at some point as that appears to trump everything, but mine has long since expired and I haven’t been bothered to get a new one.
The jobs I’ve had have been w9 or 1099
I needed two forms of ID for my current job and I used my license and passport
You never had a job in your entire life?
You’ve had to present your physical social security card when accepting a job?? I have never and I’ve worked for a dozen different companies
Yes. For taxes. You work under the table or something? Lol
Maybe it’s regional? They don’t ask for my card in Michigan. But I do need to present it for a few things done at the SOS office. That’s the DMV in Michigan.
That’s possible. Pretty sure it’s for state and federal taxes though.
Never had to show the physical card myself either. Put the number in the online form and done. And yes I am taxed
You don’t necessarily need to present your Social Security card as far as I know - I linked to what I think are the requirements below. I used my birth certificate and driver’s license at my current job, for example. https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents
I mean, when every place specifically asks for your social and ID, yeah you do necessarily need to present it.
I ain’t carrying my birth certificate around with me.
You shouldn’t be carrying your social security card around with you either.
I can’t say for the US. In Canada I’ve never had to show the card. Just say the number.
That’s a US ss card in the thumbnail. We’re obviously talking about the US
They weren’t disputing that it’s a US card though…
Never said they did.
Sorry, I responded to the wrong comment. Meant for this to be to the comment above yours. Whoops.
Just knowing the number has been enough for every job I’ve ever had. The only place that has ever cared about the physical card is the DMV.
deleted by creator
There are other forms of id that are valid; for most jobs I’ve provided my driver id and my passport
The intent is for it to completely disintegrate by the time you need to claim benefits and can’t remember your SSN.
j/k, the completely disintegrating part is true, the last part is that there won’t be any SSN benefits by the time Gen Y and later gets around to retiring.
There will be benefits. Congress has at least five courses of action they can take but will just leave it till the last minute for drama and to make people vote.
The whole design of the SS system is that current workers pay benefits for current retirees. The trust fund was created later in preparation for retiring boomers.
At worst, it goes back to the original system and benefits get reduced to match what workers are putting in. That might be as high as a worst case 20% reduction, but it’s not going to go away entirely. As others have mentioned, even that is completely avoidable.
This is right wing rhetoric meant to convince people that cuts to social programs are needed as a way to make social services solvent, fyi.
Social security is funded by the current tax payers, taxes were raised so that the social security could have some extra money to buy us bonds, allowing them to cash in those bonds later when boomers retire en masse. Eventually the bonds will be gone and social security will be ‘insolvent’ but this is ok! Social security is always being paid into and social security can be paid out with general funds, or by increased tax rates, or by increasing the cap on SS taxes.
There is not actually any indication that social security is going anywhere other than Republican fear mongering.
because i said so
-Gov’ment
I laminated mine, never had an issue.
Punish me, daddy government
I believe the primary reason is that there are counterfeiting counter measures, and if you laminated it, it would make it hard to use verification methods that allow you to make sure it’s a real one. They want to know that it is not copied, altered, or otherwise illegally fabricated.
Also, it should be noted that this is an identification card that can allow you to do crazy things like apply for official documents and loans. This number is extremely helpful for people wanting to steal your identity. I believe the idea is that if you lose it, it should degrade and disintegrate so you can get a new one without worrying that your identity will be stolen. Although, this is just my speculation.
Also, you’re not really supposed to carry it around with you, the ideas that you would put this in a safe document storage place until you need it for something specific.
presumably to be able to verify it’s the correct material/has the right anti-counterfeiting stuff?
I googled it, they say it might obscure security features which would mean it wouldn’t be accepted. They recommend a plastic case that can be removed.
And also how one can unlaminate it (asking for a friend)
Stick it in your microwave oven on high for about 10 minutes.
I’ve heard that it was in the event you lost it, it would eventually disintegrate from the weather. It always to help prevent it from being used by others if found.
You can. This is a myth.
Try using a laminated ss card to get a drivers license. (Real ID).
I obviously did and there was zero issues.
Interesting in Minnesota they would not accept it
The only thing anyone’s ever done with it is photocopy it. Lamination doesn’t affect that at all.
There’s no “security measures” on mine. Maybe there is on more recent ones though.
I was born in the seventies. So not much in the way of security there. Maybe the newer ones have something for security and it’s just a blanket policy.
They probably just say to not do it so people don’t mess with the card at all. Blanket policy is the perfect way to put it.
Plastic sleeve, boom problem solved, I’m 34 and I’ve only ever had one birth certificate because I keep it in a sleeve.
But hopefully y’all Americans can phase out the physical cards like we did in Canada.
I’m 39 but I had to pay for a new copy of my birth certificate in my 20s because mine was literally falling apart due to just being old and folded up and printed on weird paper and the seal was messed up so the dmv wouldn’t take it
I got it from my mom like that :x
Wait are we supposed to carry these around? I became a permanent resident back in 2010 and I don’t think I’ve ever taken mine out of my filing cabinet.
No, you don’t need to carry it around. Memorizing it and keeping it safe for the few occasions you do need the card itself is fine.
When do you ever need it? I just remember the number. I don’t think I’ve ever had to scan
The last several jobs I have taken, they’ve wanted a scan of it for tax purposes.
I think it’s ironic how this super private personal number that is unique to you and not to be shared is what you have to share with every job, college, financial institution, etc.
This is why I think that temporary SSNs should be a thing . It would be a number that links to your real SSN and would be used to verify your identity, but would stop working after a day or two. That way if a company has a data breach, any SSNs that get stolen would no longer work.
Real ID drivers licenses. In Minnesota it’s one of the forms they accept and if it’s laminated… They say… No
Interesting, my wife and I just got Real IDs in Maryland and didn’t take our social security cards…but now that I think about it, we used our passports for ID, so maybe that’s why.
Been a while but I do believe that was another option for that section if the requirements
I-9 if you don’t have the other stuff it asks for. Generally need to fill one out at every new job. https://www.uscis.gov/i-9
Oh, I use my passport
Oh, you forgot the part where you are only allowed a fixed number of replacements in your lifetime.
10 in your life. 3 each year.
deleted by creator
Yep. There’s no reason to carry this around with you on the daily. Stick it in a file in a safe file box of some sort. I can’t remember the last time someone asked for a physical SS card…maybe when we applied for my kids’ passports? No idea.
Maybe OP applies for a lot of jobs and is brown enough to be told they need to actually see it? Iunno
What’s the reason behind not being allowed to laminate it? Asking as a non American
You aren’t allowed to laminate the card, because the card says do not laminate.
Mine is old enough that it doesn’t say not to laminate it… I laminated it… lol
In my head, you predate lamination technology which is around 1930. So, good on you for learning to use Lemmy great-grandpappy!
Because it’s meant to biodegrade if lost outside so your identity is harder to steal
Normal countries: “there is a picture on the ID to make it harder to use someone else’s”
USA: “it’s so flimsy no one will use it for fear of it falling apart”
Well it’s not meant for all it’s used for. We’re culturally resistant to government ID cards (aside from driver’s licenses, passports, and social security cards, no this isn’t rational and it’s often from the same group because they fear both government and immigrants) and our social security cards were an early form of government ID. So basically you wind up with one of the only proofs of citizenship besides birth certificates or passports, and the only one that’s free, uniform, and everyone has being a number meant to be used to track your status with the government universal pension program that basically doesn’t exist anymore and very explicitly says not to use the way we constantly and primarily use it.
Is this stupid? Beyond a doubt. But it’s America as a whole being stupid not the social security administration. As far as the social security administration is concerned this is just a pension ID.
I’ve been asking that as an American my whole life, I don’t know if anyone really knows
Everyone knows. You’re not supposed to laminate it so if it gets lost it will biodegrade instead of being perfectly preserved for someone to steal your identity with.
Just don’t keep it in your wallet in the first place. There’s a very limited number of times you should need to have it.
That’s United States property and cannot be modified in any way.
The given reason is that you can’t see the security features on the card if it’s laminated.
security features
In anything related to SSN?
Lol
Well they do tell you to sign it, you know so if it stolen they can have that too, so there is one little modification they want. Also taring from a larger piece of paper might count.
Makes sense, thanks!
