5 ms·

we have got to stop putting our bank accounts and SSNs on computers

by functionmouse 3mo ago

gnerd00 3mo ago
... support cash, tell your neighbors
- JohnMakin 3mo ago
  til you get debanked
  - krapp 3mo ago
    Cash doesn't require a bank.
    - speedgoose 3mo ago
      Banks are kinda useful to avoid getting robbed all your money, on a regular basis. Many French people with crypto money experienced that the hard way recently.
      - nubg 3mo ago
        do you have links about the french people?
        speedgoose 3mo ago
        Sure, here are a few links. Use your favourite translator. In short, it's a very active and growing activity. Many data leaks helped people to identify wealthy targets. Some just brag about having crypto. https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2026/04/24/enlevements-dans-le-secteur-des-cryptomonnaies-88-mises-en-examen-dans-les-enquetes-en-cours-selon-le-pnaco_6683108_3224.html https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2026/04/24/enlevement... https://www.franceinfo.fr/faits-divers/cryptomonnaies-la-vague-d-enlevements-contre-le-secteur-ne-ralentit-pas-alerte-un-expert-en-securite-qui-pointe-des-prestataires-defaillants_7790333.html https://www.franceinfo.fr/faits-divers/cryptomonnaies-la-vag... https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2025/08/19/l-ascension-et-la-chute-d-un-gang-de-kidnappeurs-specialise-dans-les-rancons-en-cryptomonnaie-une-fois-un-doigt-coupe-on-enchaine-toutes-les-heures_6631788_3224.html https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2025/08/19/l-ascensio... (paywall) https://www.slate.fr/societe/enlevements-lies-cryptomonnaies-moyen-sur-gagner-argent-kidnapping-sequestration-extorsion-torture-crime-organise-france-cryptorapts https://www.slate.fr/societe/enlevements-lies-cryptomonnaies... Some random recent ones we know about: https://france3-regions.franceinfo.fr/grand-est/haut-rhin/mulhouse/un-homme-enleve-sequestre-et-vole-apres-avoir-parle-de-ses-investissements-dans-la-cryptomonnaie-quatre-personnes-interpellees-3363202.html https://france3-regions.franceinfo.fr/grand-est/haut-rhin/mu... https://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/renseignes-par-des-hackers-les-faux-policiers-agressent-un-pere-de-famille-pour-son-epargne-en-cryptomonnaies-14-06-2026-NQWFM4NDONBPLGAAJL3MQH63OI.php https://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/renseignes-par-des-ha...
    - ahoka 3mo ago
      Kinda does?
      - krapp 3mo ago
        Doesn't at all. You can take cash, keep cash and spend cash without any bank being involved. Cash is more anonymous than crypto and (if it's USD) accepted just about everywhere. Banks give you an advantage with transaction security and deposit insurance, but that's dealing with money and not cash.
        ahoka 3mo ago
        I understand that it is different in the US, but most countries’ cash is printed by some kind of central bank.
- Cider9986 3mo ago
  And Monero for online.
ryandrake 3mo ago
We need our infrastructure to stop treating bank account numbers and social security numbers as secrets. At least in the US, bank account numbers appear on physical checks and are required to be shared in order to do an ACH transfer, and a social security number is not supposed to be used as an identifier (unless to the Social Security Administration itself) or as a secret password. Ideally, nothing nefarious should happen if both of them were listed and queryable publicly.
- derektank 3mo ago
  It’s quite ridiculous that we haven’t been able to build a modern identification system capable of replacing SSNs in the last 30 years.
  - timacles 3mo ago
    SSNv6. It will take 20 years for a 50% migration
- silversmith 3mo ago
  Hang on, can you actually do something nefarious with just the bank account number?
  - ryandrake 3mo ago
    If someone has your bank account and bank’s routing number (which is also not secret), they can make fraudulent ACH transfers and payments from your account. Of course it will most likely be caught as fraud some time after the fact, but just those two bits of not-secret info are enough to grief someone.
    - rogerrogerr 3mo ago
      And both numbers, plus your name and address and a convenient sample of your signature, are on every check you’ve ever written.
pixel_popping 3mo ago
Firewalled VM, locked-in keyboard/mouse, 1 query to any agent and it's setup.
dgellow 3mo ago
You all need a better system than US SSNs
DANmode 3mo ago
You can buy your SSN for $6-$10.
smsm42 3mo ago
Your SSN had been already stolen in the Equifax breach - unless you're so young or recently arrived that you haven't had SSN by then, in which case it had been stolen in one of a dozens of the breaches since then. And if somehow you avoided all that, it will be stolen in the inevitable next breach, which would happen regardless of what you do.

we have got to stop putting our bank accounts and SSNs on computers

gnerd00 3mo ago

... support cash, tell your neighbors

JohnMakin 3mo ago
til you get debanked
- krapp 3mo ago
  Cash doesn't require a bank.
  - speedgoose 3mo ago
    Banks are kinda useful to avoid getting robbed all your money, on a regular basis. Many French people with crypto money experienced that the hard way recently.
    - nubg 3mo ago
      do you have links about the french people?
      - speedgoose 3mo ago
        Sure, here are a few links. Use your favourite translator. In short, it's a very active and growing activity. Many data leaks helped people to identify wealthy targets. Some just brag about having crypto. https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2026/04/24/enlevements-dans-le-secteur-des-cryptomonnaies-88-mises-en-examen-dans-les-enquetes-en-cours-selon-le-pnaco_6683108_3224.html https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2026/04/24/enlevement... https://www.franceinfo.fr/faits-divers/cryptomonnaies-la-vague-d-enlevements-contre-le-secteur-ne-ralentit-pas-alerte-un-expert-en-securite-qui-pointe-des-prestataires-defaillants_7790333.html https://www.franceinfo.fr/faits-divers/cryptomonnaies-la-vag... https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2025/08/19/l-ascension-et-la-chute-d-un-gang-de-kidnappeurs-specialise-dans-les-rancons-en-cryptomonnaie-une-fois-un-doigt-coupe-on-enchaine-toutes-les-heures_6631788_3224.html https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2025/08/19/l-ascensio... (paywall) https://www.slate.fr/societe/enlevements-lies-cryptomonnaies-moyen-sur-gagner-argent-kidnapping-sequestration-extorsion-torture-crime-organise-france-cryptorapts https://www.slate.fr/societe/enlevements-lies-cryptomonnaies... Some random recent ones we know about: https://france3-regions.franceinfo.fr/grand-est/haut-rhin/mulhouse/un-homme-enleve-sequestre-et-vole-apres-avoir-parle-de-ses-investissements-dans-la-cryptomonnaie-quatre-personnes-interpellees-3363202.html https://france3-regions.franceinfo.fr/grand-est/haut-rhin/mu... https://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/renseignes-par-des-hackers-les-faux-policiers-agressent-un-pere-de-famille-pour-son-epargne-en-cryptomonnaies-14-06-2026-NQWFM4NDONBPLGAAJL3MQH63OI.php https://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/renseignes-par-des-ha...
  - ahoka 3mo ago
    Kinda does?
    - krapp 3mo ago
      Doesn't at all. You can take cash, keep cash and spend cash without any bank being involved. Cash is more anonymous than crypto and (if it's USD) accepted just about everywhere. Banks give you an advantage with transaction security and deposit insurance, but that's dealing with money and not cash.
      - ahoka 3mo ago
        I understand that it is different in the US, but most countries’ cash is printed by some kind of central bank.
Cider9986 3mo ago
And Monero for online.

ryandrake 3mo ago

We need our infrastructure to stop treating bank account numbers and social security numbers as secrets. At least in the US, bank account numbers appear on physical checks and are required to be shared in order to do an ACH transfer, and a social security number is not supposed to be used as an identifier (unless to the Social Security Administration itself) or as a secret password. Ideally, nothing nefarious should happen if both of them were listed and queryable publicly.

derektank 3mo ago
It’s quite ridiculous that we haven’t been able to build a modern identification system capable of replacing SSNs in the last 30 years.
- timacles 3mo ago
  SSNv6. It will take 20 years for a 50% migration
silversmith 3mo ago
Hang on, can you actually do something nefarious with just the bank account number?
- ryandrake 3mo ago
  If someone has your bank account and bank’s routing number (which is also not secret), they can make fraudulent ACH transfers and payments from your account. Of course it will most likely be caught as fraud some time after the fact, but just those two bits of not-secret info are enough to grief someone.
  - rogerrogerr 3mo ago
    And both numbers, plus your name and address and a convenient sample of your signature, are on every check you’ve ever written.

pixel_popping 3mo ago

Firewalled VM, locked-in keyboard/mouse, 1 query to any agent and it's setup.

dgellow 3mo ago

You all need a better system than US SSNs

DANmode 3mo ago

You can buy your SSN for $6-$10.

smsm42 3mo ago

Your SSN had been already stolen in the Equifax breach - unless you're so young or recently arrived that you haven't had SSN by then, in which case it had been stolen in one of a dozens of the breaches since then. And if somehow you avoided all that, it will be stolen in the inevitable next breach, which would happen regardless of what you do.