Three Monkeys Online

A Curious, Alternative Magazine

The Computer Says “Nie”

True story: an Irish friend of mine went to the bank in Gdańsk for a loan. Everything went swimmingly until it was time to type in his PESEL, the Polish equivalent of a social security number. My friend only had his Irish number. “How many digits?” asked the clerk. “Nine.” “I’m sorry, it has to have 11 or the computer won’t accept it.” There is no formal-legal requirement to have a PESEL, but the computer says no.

Similarly, in parts of Poland it is necessary to register with the labour exchange as “homeless” in order to get access to jobs on offer from outside the administrative district where your home is…

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