"We have literally reached a point where the only way to travel long distances anonymously is to use a horse."

Sure about that? Brief Googling on regulations around moving horses between states indicates that "under ... federal regulations, horses moving interstate must be identified and accompanied by an Interstate Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (ICVI)."

There's a lot of FUD in the article.

Most (all?) states have no requirement to carry or present ID to officers - you only have to give your name, and sometimes your address depending on the state. There's no Federal requirement to carry ID.

To operate a motor vehicle you need a driver's licence...but your passengers don't. What about riding the bus? You can get on the local Metro, Bolt bus, or Greyhound w/o an ID.

Hitchhiking doesn't require an ID.

Bicycling doesn't require an ID. Nor does walking.

You don't need a pilot's license to fly an experimental aircraft (but I'm sure there are other requirements for operating from an airport).

Hangliding/parasailing doesn't require an ID.

So...only through a commercial airline (private jets don't require IDs) requires proof of identify.

I think you can still travel long distances anonymously using a bicycle.

Stephen King treats bikes as the canonical post-apocalyptic transit method — roads are too crowded with abandoned cars for automobile travel to be effective, and motorcycle travel is very dangerous (there is no ambulance if you have a high-speed accident).

But you can do a hundred miles in a day on a bike. That's not bad.

I've also never been asked for ID when using an Amtrak ticket, although my sample size is low (15 journeys) and I always use a credit card at point of purchase (either online or at a ticket counter).

I think this is simply an extension of the fact that its really no longer possible to live an anonymous life in the USA. The government makes the case that they need to know who and where everyone is so that they can figure out who is "dangerous". This seems perfectly reasonable to an awful lot of people. The problem is that the people's idea of what "dangerous" means is wildly divergent from the government's.

Reading this should particularly echo to the French-crowd here, as our government is about to pass one of worst anti-privacy law in history, all in the sake of fighting "terrorism" of course.

Side note: The author is also the author of Differential Synchronization, a key alternative to Operational Transform. If you happen to read this, congratulations for your work!

> We used to make fun of the Soviet Union for its lack of freedom of travel ("papers please").

You only need ID not pre-authorization. You don't have to get Idaho to authorize your vacation and Nebraska to allow you transit.

Other ways to travel without ID: by taxi paid for with cash also greyhound buses (paid for with cash).

It seems cash is the only means of travelling without IDing yourself. The destruction of privacy via credit cards/debit cards hasn't been given enough credit.

There's a site about this issue from the Identity Project, which documents campaigns against ID requirements for travel.

http://www.papersplease.org/

Not to mention the random checkpoints various states can set up in the name of immigration or DUIs.

Bikes are at least as practical as horses. And buses are at least as practical as that.

In the article, there's a link to a TSA Blog article that assures readers you don't need an ID to pass through security.

And, at the bottom of that article, there's a link to another TSA site, which lists acceptable IDs ('You can find a list of acceptable IDs here.', emphasis mine).

Hilariously, the first line of that page is: 'Adult passengers 18 and over must show valid identification at the airport checkpoint in order to travel.'

Mixed signals, TSA.

I've never had my ID checked to ride on a Greyhound bus.

>the only way to travel long distances anonymously is to use a horse.

Pretty sure that'll get your name in plenty of papers, so not so sure about the anonymous part...

The author of the article implies that he used to be proud of not having to do so because it differentiates his country from the Soviet Union.

How will having to carry ID turn a country into an authoritarian dystopia? Is it just an American thing?

I ask because I live in a country with an authoritarian past and we still have to carry ID everywhere and people just don't see anything wrong with that. Should I try to persuade them otherwise?

Comparing an ID with "travel papers" is silly. An ID is an identification device given to everyone who wants one. "Travel papers" are licenses to travel.

IDs are a tiny restriction on your freedom. Travel papers are a major restriction on your freedom.

The stupid airfare taxes are a much bigger restriction on our freedom, IMO.

I wonder if we will need to have a license to operate a self-driving car. Certainly we will need a driver's license in the short-term, but after some time when people trust that self-driving cars work, will we decide that it is no longer necessary for the person using the car to know how to drive? If so, then that seems like it would open up a pretty anonymous way to travel. Of course, the vehicle will probably be licensed, but if you rent it from a company, then they company will know who is using the car, but the government will not. Will the government require rental companies to check ID's and provide them with the information? Maybe, but they already do that, and the government would need a warrant to get the information.

You do not need ID to fly intrastate within the US:

http://www.papersplease.org/wp/2015/04/09/why-did-the-tsa-pr...

However, you do need explicit pre-approval from the US DHS to fly, through the Pre-Crime surveillance and control regime of Secure Flight:

http://papersplease.org/wp/2014/09/22/gao-audit-confirms-tsa...

Is the MTA in NYC still subject to random ID checks?

I often use my family bible when going across borders. it's always worked as proper identification, and is always accepted.

This makes me wonder: do you need ID to take a train within the Schengen area? I'd imagine not.

Forget being checked for ID. If you travel with a phone you constantly broadcast where you are.