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).
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.
This week on “Things Non-Americans Think Americans Don’t Know About!”
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.
I've lost my place to stay more than I've lost my wallet.
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.
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.
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
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
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.
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 difficult~~ would prevent banks from saddling literal children with mountains of debt.
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.
Why are you not allowed to laminate it?
That would make it much easier to fake it
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.
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.
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.
Oh, you forgot the part where you are only allowed a fixed number of replacements in your lifetime.
Mine is still in the envelope it came in nearly 40 years ago and is still attached to the perforated paper card. Why carry it with you and destroy it? I’ve never on a whim needed to show it to anyone.
Edit: missed a word.
What’s the reason behind not being allowed to laminate it? Asking as a non American
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"
You aren't allowed to laminate the card, because the card says do not laminate.
General rules:
Exceptions may be made at the discretion of the mods.
