Annotate License Everything

The concept of licensing doesn't require much of an introduction: there are certain activities which are considered too risky or dangerous to allow just anyone to do freely. Driving being the obvious example. In order to drive, a person must demonstrate their competence by passing a test. Abusing the privilege can lead to the license being revoked. Epileptics, under 17s, the blind, and others, are never considered eligible to acquire this type of license.

The law removes the "natural right" of being allowed to operate a motor vehicle, and this liberty is restored for those who are considered worthy, through licensing. In this way the licensing system strikes a balance between personal liberty and public safety, where the alternatives are either banning driving outright (less liberty), or allowing it for everyone (more danger).

So why isn't this system used much more broadly, both by introducing licensing for activities which are currently legal but which are considered dubious, and conversely by allowing activities which are currently illegal to be performed by a competent, responsible minority? Impractical enforcement is one reason: how do you know if that speeding car really was allowed to be going that fast? This problem could soon be overcome as technologies such as RFID improve: a waft of a scanner will reveal a person's competences.

A few examples of possible new licenses: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Alcohol license. Unlike a driving license, this is automatically issued at the age of 18, or earlier if the person demonstrates the appropriate levels of maturity. The license can be endorsed with penalty points if a person commits alcohol-aggravated crime or nuisance, and can be revoked entirely if enough points are gained, or if the person is diagnosed with alcoholism. An alcohol license is required to purchase alcohol, and it is illegal for a person to become wilfully inebriated without one.

Speeding license. An extension to the standard driving license, this requires training and assessment of high speed driving. It also requires a psychological assessment, and character references from respected community figures. Abuse of the privilege is punished strictly; a person caught speeding in inclement weather, tailgating a slower vehicle in the outside lane, racing, or speeding in a non- speeding allowed zone, for example, will permanently lose the privilege and may face criminal prosecution. Licensed speeding will allow speed limits to be more strictly enforced for the wider population or even reduced, without causing a public outcry over lost liberty or personal responsibility. Some police officers already have such a license.

Public nudity license. Currently in most places in the world, the natural right to be nude in public is absent, either by an explicit law or broader ones relating to decency. Often cited as reasons for this are concerns about hygiene and lewd conduct. To restore this right, a person who demonstrates decorum, competence in personal hygiene and the respect of others' sensibilities may gain a nudity license. However this can be revoked if the person is witnessed performing sexual acts, or if they refuse to cover up when asked by a person with a sensitive disposition, or by sitting on a public seat with a smelly, sweaty arse, without laying a buttkerchief.

Motorcycle helmet opt-out license. This requires the attendance of a half-day course educating the individual of the possible ramifications of not wearing a helmet, including exposure to photos of crash victims, and the handling of a smashed human skull. Upon completion of the course, they can sign a disclaimer earning them the legal right to ride without a helmet. (Goggles must still be worn, as the temporary loss of vision is a risk to other road users as well as the motorcyclist).

Sex license. Automatically issued at the age of 16, but may be revoked if abused e.g. upon prosecution for sexual offences. May also be granted earlier if the individual requests this and appropriate psychological, medical professionals and social workers agree that the person has reached sexual maturity.

Drugs license. Can be gained through a combination of psychological assessment, medical training and exams. If the individual is expected or found to be disorderly in public, then this may be restricted to private use only. May be revoked entirely if friends or family members stage an intervention due to concern over addiction.

Gambling license. Currently illegal in many places, gambling is yet another example of a lost liberty which could be regained for those considered knowledgeable and psychologically stable enough to cope with its abuse potential, and revoked if necessary.

Cycling on the pavement license. A minor example of something which is currently illegal in the UK, where personal responsibility is generally curtailed, yet legal in Norway, where it is more valued. A cycling on the pavement license could be automatically issued at birth but revoked if complaints of menacing cycling by pedestrians are upheld.

These are just a few topics, and no doubt the merit of each license is debatable. This is more about the idea of massively extending licensing to almost every facet of life however trivial, rather than the specific examples. Some more possibilities (your milage may vary depending on your location):

New freedoms for things currently illegal: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Flying a small remotely-controlled aircraft over a populated place (for those of us with half-baked robot courier business fantasies) | Jumping red lights under certain, very specific conditions | Crossing the road at a place other than a crossing | Carrying personal firearms | Bigamy and polygamy | BDSM that leaves a mark | Showing pornography to a minor if they request to view it | Prostitution | Crossing railway tracks on foot |

(License suggestions welcome. Especially for the second list: what do you think you should be allowed to do, but aren't, because other people are irresponsible?).

Practicalities - - - - - - - - - Driving licenses already assign numerous categories such as: car, motorcycle, truck, etc., so adding additional non- driving categories shouldn't require much of an change to the existing infrastructure, as driving licenses evolve into "general licenses". As time goes on and technology progresses, RFID or similar could be used to instantly check a person's credentials, perhaps even while they are speeding past in their car or cycling by on the pavement, making new kinds of enforcement possible. Existing license types, certification and qualifications such as electrical, surgical, CRB checks, etc., could all be merged into one instantly verifyable license.

Effects - - - - - The ideal resulting scenario would be a society in which, on average, liberty either stays exactly the same, or increases, but is re-distributed to those who act more responsibly. Such people will enjoy greater liberty, while less responsible people will lose the automatic right to do certain things which they are currently free to do, but which cause a danger or nuisance to others. In this society, acting responsibly may come to be seen as something aspirational rather than something only a nerd or a jobsworth would do.

Why? The joy of liberty for responsible and competent people. The benefit of increased public safety for everyone.

The worst case scenario would be a society in which the government introduces such a system with the pretext of increased liberty, but which follows up by making most of the tests too difficult to achieve, resulting in a net loss in liberty, or where only the rich can afford the training necessary to become qualified, creating a self- perpetuating class divide. Universal free training might prevent the latter scenario.