Well sort of. what I want to know is conscerning legality of multiple identities.
Not fake IDs or the old trick of using a dead kids Id from grave yards and the like. Close but say the character has managed to have There birth identity maintained in one country and then some how mysteriously get another identity in another country, all legit and everything. and then maybe a whole train of similar identities around the world. The character maintains only slight visible actions as each from time to time and has no criminal past and no criminal ventures. They maintain a good standing with the taxes of each country (and for the sake of referance at least two personalities are in the US) and never intends to collect any Social security (or foriegn equivalent) on more then one identity. The character mainly does this as he is the holder of a few powerful secrets, and spreads his influance out so that no one sees that this great inventer and this well know economist and this political columnist are really the same person.
Think of it like a one person Illuminaty, only this person isn't out for world domination but is truely benevolent. Helping sway the world toward helping each other and breaking the famines and whatnot with a subtle hand.
If this person goes missing or is held ransom and those trying to find him discover these alternate identities and ultimately the secrets the hold, does it somehow become molevelant or illegal. Is it legal to be Steve stevenson in the USA, David Jackson in the USA, Eric Smith in the UK, Francios DeMarco in France ect.
Is it illegal? What would peoples reactions to this type of person be (I know a few conspiracy nuts who would have a feild day with this idea, but I'm talking about what would your family members think if they read about such a person)? What kinds of things would make this difficult for him to do and hide?
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janv. 24, 2008 - 12 16
Using an international alias in today's climate would be difficult if ever the secret agent had to travel. Illegal? I wouldn't think so. And, it's been done by terrorists, albeit for a more illegal reason. In one country a Yemeni, Syrian, Egyptian or Saudi, can have his name contorted culturally with similarities while "westernizing" it if he travels to the US, Canada, Scandinavia or Europe. Example: Ali al Kadeem in Ethopia becomes Ali Alkadeem in Saudi Arabia. In France, Allie Cademe', in the US Albert Cadem. Multiple identities are not really all that unusual. How easy would it be for anyone to "borrow" a deceased relative's identity without a ripple? I believe a while back I read a very unusual story of an actress who seemed to have found the fountain of youth. No one knew how old she was and she never seemed to grow old. The reality was that her daughter was surgically altered so that she was her actress mother's doppleganger. That's a stretch from name changing. But, you get the picture.
Reaction would depend on the character's character. Is the character acting on his own behalf or that of a government or other entity?
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janv. 24, 2008 - 20 06
Sorry if the title was misleading it's just that Spies are the only ones I know who have legally ever had multiple identities. Heck I could make a fake id (wouldn't pass at home but might elsewhere. The idea is that Steve Stevenson has his birth certificate that proves he was born in Ohio, and Francis DeMarco has his Birth certificate that proves he was born in a hospital outside Paris. But they are the same person. These names are not stolen from the dead and the character isn't immortal.
He works for all people not any one, or group. It's like if Leonardo Davinci had wanted to create all his inventions and publish all his philosophy and be a doctor but chose where and when to do them and didn't want to be seen as the one doing it all or be hounded by governments seeking to own the wonder boy. He Might go by differant identities in each area and he being as ingenious as he is found a way to create them all the way back to birth and even cobble together some geneological histories for a few.
He's not actually a spy. The powerful information he has is about the means of manipulating politics and economics and health benefits and scientific advancements. With his skills he has ammassed enough money to support himself in all his lives comfortably, fund a few bussinesses he has started and set up state of the art labs and such (very batman like, with secret labs and equiptment). He is currently trying to break ground on the nanotech revolution that may solve innumerable polution manufacturing and rescource problems while offering medical and food and water to those areas in need of it. He intends to set the foundations in such a way as to make the system versatile yet not able to be used aggressively and to then create alternate versions to be 'developed' by several locations around the world that allow it's release to the masses rather then monopolised and restricted.
It's just a question of the multiple identities being seen as lies and possably criminal in some way. Falsifying legal documents, purgery, gaining citzenship rights under false pretenses, or something like that. I really want it to seem as if every identity by itself is legitimate but that the factthat there is more then one and they all belong to the same person is the trick.
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janv. 25, 2008 - 08 53
Well, even spies aren't entirely 'legal' in their extra identities, as seen by whomever they're spying on. :)
If you wanted to make it kind of work, you could have him born in a place that would grant him dual citizenship, like Americans born on German soil (or whatever). He'd have the same name, but perhaps maybe he goes back to the US and legally changes his name ... but keeps all his German paperwork in the original birth name. Something like that. Carefully, over time, he might be able to build up these two identities without anyone noticing.
Is it legal? I doubt it. But if he never did anything illegal, probably no one would notice. I mean, he wouldn't want to fly into an airport with one passport and back out the next day under a different passport, of course, as he might be noticed.
There are 'legal' uses of extra identities, as in writers using pseudonyms. Your political columnist could do that, and have his funds channeled through his agent, which might be aware of one identity but not others, or perhaps be in on the whole big secret and help him. And his science and lab stuff could be done under a corporation, owned by another corporation, and so on, hidden under a lot of layers. It's trackable, but if they aren't being conspicuous no one would bother to track.
And then there are lucky paperwork errors, which might result in an extra SS card or something like that.