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theymos' ideas are interesting, thanks. They seem a bit technical though - many users would chose to use non-KYC services instead. Such a protocol could however be fully automated, I guess.
1miau's thread was already linked to in the OP
Perhaps the title should be changed to "KYC methods which make using stolen identities more difficult" because this certainly doesn't do anything about identity theft itself.
Mmh, I don't know. Identity theft has many stages, you have to first create a fake (or real) identity linking different data items together (email address, name, photo, ID number, etc.), and only then you can "use" it on a service. The "non-email" method, for example, attacks the "identity creation" stage, as it makes it more difficulty to create links between data sets, and normally many items are needed to really steal the identity. So I think the title isn't that bad as I'm interested in techniques which make the whole "identity theft" process more difficult.
But I have always wondered, why not support webcams as well? Since everyone is videoconferencing with them nowadays, it doesn't hurt to allow verification with a desktop or laptop.
I think there are services allowing that. Kraken for example allows photo upload, mobile device, or webcam. But just Kraken's method (require ID and photo separately, i.e. a photo without the ID nor the name of the service/date) is one of the worst, because these items can simply be used without any particular modification if the hacker is able to connect the identities, it doesn't require "faking skills".
So... you're suggesting we should trust in centralization?
Offline verification service, registration without email or phone number, selfies with dates,
street selfies, what next? you just trying to make a new North Korea to adopt a very strict rules and if someone not follow it, he would get a shot by unknown sniper.
Of course I'm Kim Jong Un
As a more serious reply: It might be possible to use non-KYC services exclusively, but I believe not even 10% of Bitcoin users are doing that. Even "oldtimers" used Mt Gox. For the remaining 90%, they have to suffer some form of KYC sometimes when they deal with Bitcoin services. Thus, it's not a bad idea to point out KYC methods which make identity theft at least a little bit more difficult, so people can actively select services offering them, instead of relying to methods like an ID photo which can be simply stolen and used on another service.
The paradox thing is that some of these ideas seem "intrusive" at a first glance, like submitting a selfie with ID, but a selfie with ID is already a little bit safer than the ID photo itself.
Thanks for the link to the "street selfie" idea, didn't know that. Lol. That's of course totally over the top, even if it is simply an extension of the "link image with service name/date" technique to make identity theft even more difficult.