More SSN rantings....

[poltr1]

Earlier this month, my company switched to an electronic paystub system. Instead of having it mailed to me, I gotta go online to get it. The problem is, in order to log in, I need a PIN number along with my SSN (Social Security number), and I was never assigned a PIN number.

So I called the customer support number, and (you guessed it) they asked for my SSN. Since she couldn't -- or wouldn't -- help me if I didn't fork it over, I gave it to the clerk, quietly, and not in the expected 3-2-4 cadence. (I should have asked her, "What's yours?") After answering additional questions to verify my identity, I got my initial PIN number and was able to log in to their system.


I really hate that private companies use SSN for identification purposes, but I can't find anything that says it's illegal to do so. Fighting this and trying to get the rest of the world to comply and use a different identification criterion is a more daunting task than a salmon swimming upstream. Where do I start? With whom? And would I have a legal leg to stand on?

I first mentioned this two weeks ago, when I groused about having to give my SSN to someone over the phone regarding health-care information. Since health care has virtually nothing to do with the IRS, health care providers shouldn't require it or request it.

Here's a laundry list of sites I found regarding what I consider to be the proper use of the number, i.e. for Social Security Administration use only.

Social Security Number as Identification
by Ray Thomas
http://www.angelfire.com/co2/forcedaltruism/ssnasid.html

Government and Commercial Use of the SSN is Widespread
http://www.glr.com/govt/privacy/ssnuse2.html (plain-text)
http://www.gao.gov/archive/1999/he99028.pdf (PDF)

106th Congress, HR 220 (sponsored by Ron Paul) to amend existing laws re: SS numbers
http://www.house.gov/paul/legis/z-hr220.htm

Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) SSN Privacy Page
http://www.epic.org/privacy/ssn/
http://www.epic.org/privacy/ssn/testimony_0501.html

Minnesota Public Radio: The Surveillance Society | Your National ID Number
http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/199911/15_newsroom_privacy/natlid.html

Your Social Security Number: How Secure Is It?
http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs10-ssn.htm

FAQ re: the above
http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs10a-SSNFAQ.htm