> Should the US? Should Government web sites work on the policy that you should never have to tell the Government something it already knows?
Should is a form of judgement, so I'll weigh mine in if you don't mind :-).
As I am certain you know, while it is technically possible to have government sites pull up everything known about the citizen given a modicum of uniquely identifiable information, the US culture would likely produce a tremendous "big brother is watching us" paranoid kickback. If this is warranted or not is moot.
For a smaller scale example, some years back the Home Shopping Network (HSN) made available caller-ID to CSR's for people calling to purchase product. They still have it now, of course, but at the time it was initially made available, CSR personnel would greet the caller "by name" when answering. Something akin to, "Hello Mr. Smith, how may I help you?"
This freaked out a lot of people. Especially the elderly. In any event, as those of us reading/posting in this forum know, the information is most certainly still there. Its presence is just not revealed to the HSN consumer.
Put that same type of convenience onto a US government web site and tech-trolls will light up the web with NSA conspiracy articles ad nauseam.
Right. Suppose the Obamacare web site had been really good. You go there, and it checks your IP address with your ISP, identifies your account, and greets you with "Hello. It looks like you're Mr Smith of 1234 Scott St, Raleigh, North Carolina. Is that correct?" The user answers yes, and gets back "You're qualified to sign up for Obamacare. We've checked your tax records, and your income qualifies you to get extra assistance. You don't have any other medical coverage right now. If you sign up, your premium of $42.00 a month will be deducted from your paycheck from Walmart Inc, along with your taxes. Do you want to sign up for medical coverage?
Yes, thanks for signing up. You now have medical coverage. Here's your certificate of coverage. Print this page and you're done.
But from the 24x7 headline-starved troglodytes looking to whip the populace into a frenzy? Loud and heard from every corner. And what would those which slavishly follow their pundits-of-choice do? Would they remember the ease with which they received health coverage or would they incorporate whatever mantra was beaten into them?
Should is a form of judgement, so I'll weigh mine in if you don't mind :-).
As I am certain you know, while it is technically possible to have government sites pull up everything known about the citizen given a modicum of uniquely identifiable information, the US culture would likely produce a tremendous "big brother is watching us" paranoid kickback. If this is warranted or not is moot.
For a smaller scale example, some years back the Home Shopping Network (HSN) made available caller-ID to CSR's for people calling to purchase product. They still have it now, of course, but at the time it was initially made available, CSR personnel would greet the caller "by name" when answering. Something akin to, "Hello Mr. Smith, how may I help you?"
This freaked out a lot of people. Especially the elderly. In any event, as those of us reading/posting in this forum know, the information is most certainly still there. Its presence is just not revealed to the HSN consumer.
Put that same type of convenience onto a US government web site and tech-trolls will light up the web with NSA conspiracy articles ad nauseam.