Identity theft happened to me. It could happen to you. Our systems enable bad actors to commit identity fraud and generally get away with it. But it doesn't have to be this way.
In my experience as a victim of identity theft, and as a reporter interviewing experts about the problem, I've encountered a few ideas for how to fix things. Some are small, detail-oriented changes that would make life easier for victims and harder for thieves. Some are medium-sized: policies or programs that would make it harder to commit this crime. And some are big-picture things that would provide broader protections for our increasingly online lives. I've organized them here roughly in order from "doable" to "daunting."
No, there isn't a perfect solution to this problem. But I am not someone to throw my hands up and say, "Well, it would be hard, so we shouldn't try."
