[mothballed]

I'd argue it's more like KYC for the internet. Something HN users have brutally and ruthlessly defended for banking every time I argue it's a 4A violation (in fact, it's one of the most fiercely defended things anytime I bring it up).

Give in 20+ years and you'll be called a kook for thinking otherwise.

[kbelder]

KYC is one of the greatest government overreaches in the last several decades. I'll back you up on that.

[tired-turtle]

Can you explain the connection between KYC in banking and the Fourth Amendment? How does KYC constitute a government search/seizure?

[mothballed]

The government requires the bank to search your identity documents to open an account, even when there is no individualized suspicion you've broken the law as to why your papers need to be searched, as part of the KYC regulations passed post 9/11. Technically it's not in the statute that they actually search your documents, but rather enforced through a byzantine series of federal regulatory frameworks that basically require them to do something that approximates "industry standard" KYC compliance which ends up being, verifying the customer through inspecting their identity and perhaps other documents. This is why i.e. when I was homeless even my passport couldn't open an account anywhere -- they wanted my passport plus some document showing an address to satisfy KYC requirements.

Maybe I will have more energy for it tomorrow, I've been through this probably a couple dozen times on HN and I don't have the energy to go through the whole rigmarole today because usually it results in 2-3 days of someone fiercely disagreeing down some long chain and in the end I provide all the evidence and by that point no one is paying attention and it just goes into this pyrrhic victory where I get drained dry just for no one to give a shit. I should probably consolidate it into a blog post or something.

[DennisP]

Fwiw I lean to your side and would be interesting in reading what you have to say about it.

[sneak]

I’d happily host that blog. Contact info is in my profile.