Japan Post Launches 'Digital Address' System (japantimes.co.jp) 41
Japan Post has launched a "digital address" system that links seven-digit combinations of numbers and letters to physical addresses. From a report: Under the system, users can input these seven-digit codes on online shopping websites, and their addresses will automatically appear on the sites.
People can obtain digital addresses by registering with Japan Post's Yu ID membership service. Their digital addresses will not change even if their physical addresses change. Their new addresses will be linked to the codes if they submit notices of address changes.
People can obtain digital addresses by registering with Japan Post's Yu ID membership service. Their digital addresses will not change even if their physical addresses change. Their new addresses will be linked to the codes if they submit notices of address changes.
It's not DNS. It can't be DNS. It's DNS (Score:3)
One would think IT people hate systems that convert between numbers and names enough not to invent yet another.
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It makes a lot of sense since typically you want to send a package to an individual, not an address.
People are moving around more as housing gets less affordable and they are forced to rent forever.
Re: It's not DNS. It can't be DNS. It's DNS (Score:2)
That's what I imagine most of those meetings are like and why people keep re-inventing the wheel.
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One would think IT people hate systems that convert between numbers and names enough not to invent yet another.
We have 117 systems to identify unique addresses... OK, now we have 118 systems to identify unique addresses.
This is just like What Three Words and dozens of other solutions looking for a problem. The problem with the solutions is that they're not immediately obvious when you need them. Say you want to tell the emergency services exactly where a road traffic accident is? You could use What Three Words as the UKs emergency response number (999) does but chances of you having that app on your phone and ava
Post office (Score:2)
Postcodes anyone?
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It's more than Ireland. The UK, and the Netherlands typically identify individual streets or in some cases individual houses. Where I live for example our postcode is unique to the 10 houses on our side of the street. The other side has a different post code. Our street itself (which isn't very long) has about 7 different post codes. Add the house number and you don't need to know the state, city, or street name to send mail.
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Re: Post office (Score:2)
It's ok. UPRN is there for minutiae.
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US Post code + route number is pretty adequate with human mail carriers. I see my postman IRL probably 2-3x a month and he knows who I am, if you send a letter to my post code + route number with the name smudged illegibly it will almost certainly get delivered to the correct house. Not all mail carriers are as social as mine though.
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In the US, the traditional postal code is a 5 digit scheme, which obviously allows for 100K locations, so clearly can't identify an individual address. However, back in 1983, they introduced the zip+4 scheme, which allows for a billion locations. That actually allows for uniquely identifying every address in the US in theory. In practice, there probably should have been at least one more digit for longevity. Also, since the zip code mappings are regional, it does not properly account for demographic growth.
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Except it is not used to tie a single post code to a single address.
Sorry, do you mean the new Japanese code, or the zip+4? If you mean the Japanese code then that is more or less correct. It does tie to a single address, but it does so serially, following the account holder. If you mean the zip+4, I thought I was pretty clear that segmentation/mapping issues mean that it can't practically be used to tie to a single address even though it technically has the address space to do so. That's why I made the distinction between theory and practice and then clarified. That being
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I was trying to find some way to give you the benefit of the doubt. Frankly, your post didn't make a lot of sense either way, considering what I actually wrote. I suppose there's no choice but to conclude that you have abysmal reading comprehension skills.
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Postcodes anyone?
It's more like a Social Security number that maps to your current address by design.
Re: Post office (Score:1)
What Three Words? (Score:2, Interesting)
I wish what3words would have taken off. It's a great way to communicate your location using common words that are easy to pronounce and understand.
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what3words doesn't follow you after you move to a new place.
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Address Privacy (Score:4, Interesting)
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Japan has another issue, which is that most streets are unnamed and most buildings don't have numbers. Addresses are usually a postal cost specifying the block, and then a description of which building to deliver to. Some buildings have names, most residences have the name of the occupying family on a plaque at the front.
The residential situation isn't ideal. As well as being a privacy issue, it can be a pain when people with different surnames live in the same house, and when people move around a lot.
Slashdot was FIRST (Score:2)
Yes, our very own Slashdot established the norm, and yes, it was called UID.
Years later, the Japanese code ided it was a terrific idea, so they adopted it, but they couldn't pick a name, and lazily decided there was nothing wrong with calling it yu id
Stalkers & Privacy? (Score:2)
Oh look, the invented pointers (Score:1)
:P
Might work in Japan, but not world wide (Score:2)
Seven digits is not nearly enough for world wide adoption of this system.
There are 8 Billion people in the word right now. So, 8 billion people / 9,999,999 addresses = ~800 people per address. Then we should expect there to be roughly 800 people living in each household? I didn't think they even made apartments that big.
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If you read the summary (I know that's asking a lot on Slashdot), this system includes letters and numbers
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Zip plus 4 already does this. I'm not sure if it covers individual apartments though.
Anyway that's 9 digits.
Wondering why? (Score:2)
As a criminal... (Score:2)
This sounds perfect.
I can convince someone at a mobile operator to simswap a victim, then use that phone to update the address, then have the bank send a new credit card to the existing "address"
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That requires interacting with someone physically at the victims address. This would allow everything to be done remotely.
So will the anonymous a-holes who send pizzas to y (Score:2)