Here's one anecdote - a woman I know has a very youthful appearance. Inevitably when she has to provide ID, the person reading her ID will exclaim that she can't really be XX years old. They think it is a compliment, but it enrages my friend because that person has now disclosed her actual age to anyone near by, including any acquaintances that might be accompanying her.
So, she asked me to create a fake-id to use in such situations. We made a really low quality id - a laminated "state id" (not even a driver's license) from one of the more obscure states a thousand miles away from her residence. Completely ginned up, not even intended to look like the actual id from that state. The information on the ID was correct, except that her age was listed as ten years younger then she really is.
She's been happily using that fake-id in those circumstances where they are just being nosey and there isn't a legal requirement for an id. Being nosey means they feed that information into databases at companies like Blue Kai. The result is that she has a shadow identity in those systems that is exactly 10 years younger. If you look her up on a website like spokeo there are typically two entries - one for her true age and one of the fake-id age.
Anyway, the lesson I learned from all that is GIGO - these commercial profiling databases are no better than the quality of information that goes into them and the controls on that information are no better than a minimum wage clerk taking applications at Costco or the local gym franchaise.
If you intend to use a fake-id simply as a way to compartmentalize the pervasive tracking rather than commit fraud it does not take much. You don't need a birth certificate from a deceased child, or to bribe someone at the passport office. Just get yourself a fake-id like that available near most colleges and start using it - most of the people you show it too couldn't care less about its authenticity, even if they knew how to check they don't bother because it's not their job.
The one bit of tactical advice I have is to look up name frequencies and pick ethnically appropriate names that are very common. That will help to make your information blend in with all the other people with the same name.
So, she asked me to create a fake-id to use in such situations. We made a really low quality id - a laminated "state id" (not even a driver's license) from one of the more obscure states a thousand miles away from her residence. Completely ginned up, not even intended to look like the actual id from that state. The information on the ID was correct, except that her age was listed as ten years younger then she really is.
She's been happily using that fake-id in those circumstances where they are just being nosey and there isn't a legal requirement for an id. Being nosey means they feed that information into databases at companies like Blue Kai. The result is that she has a shadow identity in those systems that is exactly 10 years younger. If you look her up on a website like spokeo there are typically two entries - one for her true age and one of the fake-id age.
Anyway, the lesson I learned from all that is GIGO - these commercial profiling databases are no better than the quality of information that goes into them and the controls on that information are no better than a minimum wage clerk taking applications at Costco or the local gym franchaise.
If you intend to use a fake-id simply as a way to compartmentalize the pervasive tracking rather than commit fraud it does not take much. You don't need a birth certificate from a deceased child, or to bribe someone at the passport office. Just get yourself a fake-id like that available near most colleges and start using it - most of the people you show it too couldn't care less about its authenticity, even if they knew how to check they don't bother because it's not their job.
The one bit of tactical advice I have is to look up name frequencies and pick ethnically appropriate names that are very common. That will help to make your information blend in with all the other people with the same name.