In the everyday US financial world, especially in the post 9/11 world, there are many reasons to know exactly “who” you are doing business with on the Internet.

As freedom loving people, there are also many reasons not to allow big government a wide scope of surveillance into our daily lives.

Then there are those everyday circumstances when the person you are doing business with misuses their position or misunderstands what personal information is needed and why.

I took my dog to the vet last week for some annual shots, it was her first time at this vet’s office. I filled out the forms, paid cash and watched on while my dog received her shots, no big deal.

As I exited the office and walked past the front desk, an elderly member of their administration staff, stopped me and demanded that I complete the office paperwork.

You see…I’m a freedom lover and as such… I don’t understand the requirement to provide a Social Security number and Drivers License number so my dog can get a parvo shot. I know, this is a very private attitude and why didn’t I just comply and stop ‘burning the American flag’ ?

I had paid cash, received my ‘merchandise’ and assumed the transaction was complete. However, the ‘in charge’ office worker who thought she was in charge of me….was now demanding my personal and private information.

The private employee had made it clear that their office policy required these ‘important’ government issued identifiers and I was violating their office policy. If I did not submit and provide the information then I could not return. This woman scoffed at me like my picture appeared next to Bin Laden on the FBI’s most wanted list and through not divulging my information…well you get the idea.

I did not return to that office. In my world, cash talks and credit checks take the walk.

After the planes hit the towers, big government began to occupy a larger more personal space in all American’s lives. That is no secret and no surprise, but if you are not one of the bad guys…what are you worried about?

If your car was not blown up today by extremists on the way to Starbucks, big government is doing their job and you should be thankful. I am and I happen to agree. But as big government’s rules trickle down to the little people, they become modified or personalized and can often end up intruding on anyone’s personal liberty and freedom. The mis-management of that personal data can get someone else’s photo on your driver’s license a few dozen times. (ID theft)

It often pays to keep your personal information private, especially if the person requesting it is clueless.

In the decade plus that e-gold has been in operation, there has never been a law on the books that says, “digital gold currency is considered a ‘legal currency’ & the ISO currency code is XXX.” E-gold is new and innovative. So why has big government been intruding so on e-gold?

Well, even without up-to-date new laws, it doesn’t take a genius to recognize that some new technologies can be misused. The billion dollars a year or more of e-gold customer transactions is not a case of the local office worker complying with store policy. This is a very large operation where the misuse of the product might be construed as hurtful to others. I know, it’s a stretch to think such bad things might happen, work with me here…..For this reason, it’s pleasant to see that today, e-gold seems to be adding a US compliant customer identification requirement on certain active high dollar customer accounts.

Those smart folks behind the e-gold machine, are taking the proactive initiative to work within the US system for the security and betterment of us all.  Congratulations e-gold and I hope we will all still be using your system in the decades ahead.

It’s always nice to see a private America business moving towards voluntary compliance with the spirit of the law.  Please see their web for official information regarding all current and future policy changes.