Then the problem is putting so much meaning to data. Why should my ID (or SSN) have so much value? Why should my medical records have so much value? Medical records have value mainly because it can lead to discrimination, so the solution to that is remove the value of discrimination (job, medical care costs, etc.) based on medical conditions.
Because it existed before the invention of public key cryptography and is now permanently entrenched. If you think you can fix that, go do it and then make this argument after nobody is using SSNs anymore. Also, your argument for not deploying cryptography is "we should solve that problem cryptography would solve if it was more widely deployed"?
> Why should my medical records have so much value? Medical records have value mainly because it can lead to discrimination, so the solution to that is remove the value of discrimination (job, medical care costs, etc.) based on medical conditions.
You say "the solution" like all we have to do is snap our fingers and people will stop discriminating based on medical conditions even though doing so is highly profitable. The way the laws against that type of discrimination work is by preventing the discriminating party from obtaining that information.
Also, good luck passing or enforcing a law that says prospective mates can't discriminate against you based on your medical or mental health records. To say nothing of the outright violence that would result if the names of women who get abortions became known to the wrong people.
