Emphasizing that the number can be changed would really help there.
People could even generate their own number (private key), which they never gave out, and appeared differently to each account manager verifying it, and still replace them.
When you choose your own number, it's only the Mark of the Beast if you are the Beast! * **
I don't think it would take much to convert real IDs into a national ID, they are as close to as they can get without "freaking people out".