Trying to imagine the culture shock immigrants to the UK get when, for the first time, they encounter someone like an accountant asking for their electricity bill.
Because, fellow Brits, I have to inform you that that's a bit weird.
@sparrowsion Nothing, but mainly companies aren't actually trying to ascertain your address, they're trying to ascertain your identity and using your address as a proxy for that.
@sparrowsion You have by law here to tell the council when you move in or out of an address, so presumably some categories of businesses can get your registered primary address from the relevant database.
But presumably for addresses you have some sort of current responsibility for? (I've no idea how this is supposed to help prevent money laundering, or anything else.)
@sparrowsion I can't speak for Portugal but in Germany it's a legal requirement to notify the local council you have moved there and they will modify your ID card or issue a new one.
Yeah, there's a lot to be said for the lack of bureaucracy in the UK but the lack of common ID cards is questionable. They'd sure be convenient but, OTOH, the whole “papers please” attitude is not one we'd like many, including this, government to take too far.
Meanwhile, in the US you get a “secret” password assigned at birth which you can't change [¹] and which you have to use with lots of different enterprises. And, somehow, people there don't think that's bonkers.
@Ed Davies I mean, you don't NEED an ID card to solve this. In Portugal you can download a "here is this person and their details" certificate from the government's tax website.
The #USPS won't deliver anywhere near my house. To get a PO Box address a half-hour from here, I have to bring them the legal deed to my house and a certificate of insurance on it. Along with my fancy gov ID. (An electric bill might work, but I'm 100% solar...)
So many culture shocks, especially with financial stuff. I arrived in '96 and the first thing my bank did after opening an account was to issue me a cheque book. The last time I'd seen a cheque in Germany was at least 10 years prior... Later that year I wanted to transfer money to someone (I can't remember the reason) so went to my bank and they told me that was only possible if they had an account with the same bank... Bank transfers had been the standard in Germany since the 60s.
@Ozzy My UK bank keeps asking me, “what’s online banking like in Portugal compared to ours?”, presumably expecting effusive praise about their app, and their face falls when I say, “it’s at least a decade ahead of anything you have”.
So many Brits think they’re living in high tech utopia, when actually it’s backwards as hell in so many ways.
Sion [main]
in reply to Sarah Brown • • •It's certainly stupid as everyone is trying to get you to go paperless.
But it makes me wonder how other countries do proof of address. Or don't they have the same kind of money-laundering regulations?
Sarah Brown
in reply to Sion [main] • •Adam
in reply to Sarah Brown • • •Sarah Brown
in reply to Adam • •Sion [main]
in reply to Sarah Brown • • •Adam
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in reply to Sarah Brown • • •Sarah Brown likes this.
Ozzy
in reply to Sion [main] • • •Ed Davies
in reply to Sarah Brown • • •Yeah, there's a lot to be said for the lack of bureaucracy in the UK but the lack of common ID cards is questionable. They'd sure be convenient but, OTOH, the whole “papers please” attitude is not one we'd like many, including this, government to take too far.
Meanwhile, in the US you get a “secret” password assigned at birth which you can't change [¹] and which you have to use with lots of different enterprises. And, somehow, people there don't think that's bonkers.
[¹] Except under limited circumstances.
Sarah Brown
in reply to Ed Davies • •Help me learn about Portugal reshared this.
LorenAmelang
in reply to Sarah Brown • • •Ozzy
in reply to Sarah Brown • • •I arrived in '96 and the first thing my bank did after opening an account was to issue me a cheque book. The last time I'd seen a cheque in Germany was at least 10 years prior...
Later that year I wanted to transfer money to someone (I can't remember the reason) so went to my bank and they told me that was only possible if they had an account with the same bank... Bank transfers had been the standard in Germany since the 60s.
Sarah Brown
in reply to Ozzy • •@Ozzy My UK bank keeps asking me, “what’s online banking like in Portugal compared to ours?”, presumably expecting effusive praise about their app, and their face falls when I say, “it’s at least a decade ahead of anything you have”.
So many Brits think they’re living in high tech utopia, when actually it’s backwards as hell in so many ways.
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