Unfortunately, the state is partly to blame for identify theft, for plastering my Social Security number all over my driving records and then selling my driving records for pennies on the Internet, along with my date of birth and my middle name.
I requested the state not to share my Social Security number with third parties. Did anyone listen? I still have my driving records sold with my Social Security number in them. The only difference is that at the end of the driving records a clerk added a comment "This driver has requested that his Social Security number be kept private."
Furthermore, when my state switched to a credit-card-type driver's license, the thieves just broke into a driving license office and stole the new machines. When they ran out of supplies, they went back and stole more laminate-type paper.
Only a fool will trust the government to keep his records private. Only a fool will trust the government to issue a tamper-proof document.
The less a government knows about you, the more privacy you have.
Bravo!