Birth dates

Usually when you pick up medicines from the pharmacy, there’s a verification process where they ask you your address. In other places, sometimes this verification involves asking your birth date. I have always wondered how is this safe? The date is not that secret as most people would announce it either by bringing cakes to the office or having some other form of celebration. Maybe the verification includes also the scrutiny of the way the person answers his/her birth date? Was it answered in a thrilled manner if it’s coming soon, or flat tone if it has just passed? Or simply whether they were confident enough when answering it, as if they’ve known that date is special to them?

Surely though an imposter or hacker that manages to get the information, would answer it confidently enough? Alas, it might be just a false sense of security to ask a person’s birth date to confirm their identity. Either way it needs to be asked, hence needed to be answered.

Thank you for reading.