Sunday, October 4, 2015

Japanese get 'numbered'

Starting this month, Japanese and non-Japanese residing in Japan get ready to be 'numbered' in the nation's monumentous effort at getting the entire population digitalized. In what is called 'My Number', Japanese and residents (all who have a registered address in Japan) will receive a 12-digit identity number. Till now, personal data on an individual, tax data, insurance, etc are kept separately by the respective agencies. By 'numbering' the population, the government hopes to centralize these data.

For a nation of people who are paranoid about losing their personal data, the biggest worry is whether the government can keep their data safe. Then there is worry about fraud or the misue of these 'My Number's to swindle people, especially old folks, of their money.

79% of the population is reported to be very concerned about this effort. Many are not well informed about this change. Many are not convinced of the need for this change. Even more are not confident that this change will be conducted smoothly.

No comments:

Post a Comment