> In the U.S., despite what officers tell you, you do not have to identify yourself when asked.
This varies state to state. In many states you must identify yourself at the level of providing your name and address, but you are not required to produce any documentation.
Some states require you to identify yourself upon request. This does not, in any state I am aware of, require the use if ID. All that is required in those states is that you tell them your name.
What situation? Other than crossing a border, or maybe appearing in court, I can't think of any situation where I need to prove who I am. I might need to prove my age, or that I have a right to a particular service, but I shouldn't need to provide my identity to do that.
> As of 2013, 24 states had stop-and-identify laws. Regardless of your state’s law, keep in mind that police can never compel you to identify yourself without reasonable suspicion to believe you’re involved in illegal activity
Not carrying ID can actually get you into trouble in California when performing some activities that don't even require a license. See for example this interesting discussion on someone who was pulled over by the police, while bicycling and not carrying ID:
The Court also concluded that while McKay had verbally identified himself, the officer has the discretion whether to accept the verbal identification, and noted “Here, of course, defendant was not arrested merely because he failed to produce a license. He was arrested because he violated the Vehicle Code. At that point, the need to obtain reliable evidence of identification and ensure compliance with a promise to appear is equally great for a bicyclist as for a driver of a motorized vehicle. Although only the latter is obligated to have a license in his or her possession at all times while driving on the road (§ 12951, subd. (a)), both are required to produce satisfactory evidence of identity for examination when stopped for a violation of the law.” McKay, 625.
I have rented apartments and looked at housing in several places in CA, not once has anyone asked me for my ID. Only when it got down to the serious brass tacks was that required.
Yes, that's my understanding. So wouldn't refusing to identify yourself be an effective way to avoid a bill, without the criminal exposure of giving a fake name or ID?
https://www.aclusocal.org/barstow-stop-and-id/
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