image by betta design on flickr.com

A couple of days ago I called the India consulate in Sydney, Australia. Turns out they have a new process to get a five year business visa issued:

1. Complete all the documentation necessary. This means download and print forms, complete them by hand, etc.
2. Scan all the documents and your passport
3. Email them to the consulate for approval

At this stage I stopped the representative on the phone and asked her – did you just say you want me to EMAIL you a copy of my passport? She replied with the affirmative. Could I come in person or send it by courier? No. Only email.

I congratulate the India consulate for embracing technology and using email for daily operations, allowing me to communicate electronically with the consulate. On the other hand, I think that their procedures need to be revised in as far as sending private information unprotected over the Internet is concerned.

I opted to apply for a one year visa instead, at a greater cost (the one year visa costs about half of what the 5 year does and I will have to get another one) but without going through with this procedure. I wonder how many people don’t think twice before complying. Actually, having seen people sending credit card numbers (complete with names, billing addresses and CVV) over email, I know that most people will comply with these instructions.

Two hikers walk in the wood and encounter a bear. One hiker immediately pulls a pair of running shoes and puts them on. His friend looks at him in terror and amazement and yells at him – “You can’t outrun a bear!” to which he replies – “I don’t need to be faster than the bear; I only need to be faster than you”.

I would like to use this opportunity to thank those people. Thank you! You make my life easier. By being the low-hanging fruit for identity thieves, identity fodder if you will, you allow me relative safety from identity theft by following a few very rudimentary safety precautions; See, I don’t need to be perfectly protected from identity theft, I only need to my identity to be harder to steal than your identity.

Shana Tova