Metaweb:Identity theft

From the Quicksilver Metaweb.

Identity theft is, most exactly, when no body successfully pretends to be some body. A corporate entity (such as a gang of thieves or faction advancing a common economic interest such as a profession or an industry) can for instance falsify a commitment that ends up being attached to some body name. This affects the "credit rating" or "reputation" or some other measure which other bodies (are foolish enough to) trust to identify "can I deal with them". The other body would ideally reject the intervening no body and continue to deal with the some body, but they fail to do this because of the no-body's successful impersonation.

Corporate personhood is an example of identity theft on a grand scale: the collective/corporate entity pretends to represent or make commitments for those who "own" it, but, in fact, they are not legally liable for what the corporate entity does. This "limited liability" in effect leaves victims with no recourse for harms done by the corporate entity: when some body goes to get what they are due, they discover that no body is obligated to give it to them. What is more, some body who benefits from this, is immune from any prosecution!

In extremely rare cases, some body will impersonate some body else, but this is foolish - why risk it, when there are so many ways to diffuse liability?