Not sure if this will add to the discussion, but going to lob this out anyway...
When I was about twenty two, I received a phone call from lawyer representing a lady who aledged that I had taught her to ride a motorcycle and subsequently crashed. She was filing some kind of civil suit against me. I told the lawyer that I didn't have a motorcycle, did not ride a motorcycle, nor had I taught anyone to ride a motorcycle...click....
Five or six years later I was at work on the loading dock at Smith Bros Dairy when I was approached by a police officer.
"Are you Brad Campbell?"
"Yes sir"
"You have been served!"
"With what?"
"This is a restraining order limiting access to your girlfriend"
"But I am married and none of my girlfriends are unhappy with me. I think you need to do a little more police work officer and serve the guy this is intended for. What is the SS number of the guy?"
"Uhmm...."
"Ok see ya later then..."
The moral of the story? There is no moral, but have you ever considered how many guys are running around the country with your same exact name? I wonder how many Brad Campbells have made purchases on GB? Not this one...
If a high profile company implements measures to minimize liability and exposure to risk by asking for information that makes you uncomfortable, you don't have to play the game. It doesnt mean they are picking on you or asking you to do something others aren't willing to do to verify who they are. Perhaps they are happy to cull a few potential customers to satisfy policies and maybe protect existing customers.