What is Digg?189 Comments
- spammishking, on 12/06/2007, -1/+108I'm already screwed. My army issue bag has my social security number written in large font on the side. Thanks for keeping my info secure US government
- inactive, on 12/06/2007, -8/+84My social security number is 457-55-5462. Go crazy.
- PictureMeRollin, on 12/06/2007, -4/+76Thats the SSN for the CEO of LifeLock (www.lifelock.com), and identity theft protection company. I've seen their commercial where he openly gives out his SSN. Phenomenal marketing campaign to be honest.
- Trevahaha, on 12/06/2007, -0/+69The issue is that our SSN was never designed to be a private number nor something for other organizations to use to identify someone. It's unfortunate how it's now used for that and that basically with it, you can take over almost anyone's accounts.
- T4z3R, on 12/06/2007, -0/+41Can I also get your full name, dob, city born in, and mothers maiden name please?
- tgarza17, on 12/06/2007, -2/+42I tried not giving out my SSN for awhile - dentist, phone co, etc. I finally got tired of going round and round with everyone and getting treated like a tin-foil-hat-wearing ass. My solution: don't have credit worth stealing. Anyone wants to open accounts in my name, good luck with that.
- inactive, on 12/06/2007, -5/+42I just refuse. Then I work the conversation to where they admit that they need the number because it's unique and they can use it to identify me in their system.
At that point I point out that their practice is a violation of federal law, and that they are perfectly capable of making up their own unique number to identify me. I've always won that argument, but it is always a bit of a hassle.
I've defeated the electric company, the gas company, the hospital, my medical insurance company, and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (hunting license). There are others, but I can't think of them right now. - wvdavis, on 12/06/2007, -1/+29And to think... you protected their information. But don't worry the VA will protect... oh wait, never mind.
I got the phone call too. - KenSPT, on 12/06/2007, -0/+26I remember when I moved to my new apartment last year, I had to set up my electric. My electric company asked for my social, I said "I'd prefer not giving that out", they said they understood and had another option for me.
They said if I chose to not give me my social I would be mailed a form to fill out, I would then be required to make 4 copies of my drivers license, mail those copies to 4 different places, send the form I filled out to a fifth place, and then wait for them to get back to me for approval. Obviously, having a job and social life, that was too much effort so I ended up caving and giving it out.
I can only assume they make the second option so horribly inconvenient so that people cave and give them what they want, much like I did. - evillawngnome, on 12/06/2007, -2/+25BURIED.
I thought this was an article about how to refuse to give out your SSN. This article was about one person's struggle with verizon to set up phone service without providing a SSN. This person failed, but the article does go on to tell you the right way, should you care. Too much about verizon, not enough about the rest of the companies you deal with. - whataboutdave, on 12/06/2007, -3/+25They said it was never designed for that, but of what would you expect from a universal identification system?
- inactive, on 12/06/2007, -3/+17Good for you. These hillbillies around here still don't comprehend that it's dangerous. Women even carry the damned SSN cards (and their kid's cards) in their purses, which get stolen from the front seats of their cars, and then they can't figure out how their credit went bad. They print the police reports daily in the newspaper and just about every day I read that same scenario.
It's maddening. - sexybobo, on 12/06/2007, -1/+15The Social Security Number was created to track people paying in to social security by a unique number.
The reason it is used as a identification system is because it is the only unique number associated with people. - Coffeedemon, on 12/06/2007, -0/+14Same thing as the Social Insurance Number (SIN) in Canada. Its not required by 90% of the people that request it and you don't have to provide it.
- RevEng, on 12/06/2007, -0/+13Bruce Schneier talks about using a SSN as ID in his book "Beyond Fear". I don't have it on me right now, but the real point was that it was never designed to be used as a form of authentication. Currently, it is used as a form of authentication (proving you are who you say you are), but knowing a single 9-digit number that never changes is hardly proof of your identity. As has been made obvious, somebody merely needs your name and SSN and they can claim to be you. Also, since the SSN isn't designed to be changed (and is often used as a unique identifier in places where it would be difficult or impossible to change), it is extremely difficult to recover from it being misappropriated. It's being used to serve the same purpose as a password, and yet it's neither secret nor changeable.
A truly good authenticator needs to give no more information than it is given. For example, a challenge-response mechanism never divuldges any secret, but it does confirm that you know the secret (though it requires the other party know it too). There also needs to be some way to verify the validity of an authenticator. It's easy to create a counterfeit driver's license (ask anybody under legal drinking age) and it's trivial to create a counterfeit SSN card. There needs to be a way that anybody can verify that your authenticator is real and has been properly assigned to you.
The worst part though is using a SSN as an identifier, instead of a student number, health plan number, or other such identifier. Identification is one job, authentication is another. By combining the two, the authentication is lost and only the identification remains. As others have said, when everybody uses a SSN as identification (and authentication), the only thing you need to get a hold of is a person's SSN to take over their life. - inactive, on 12/06/2007, -1/+14FTA: "Sally understood my concerns. But, she explained, Verizon needed my Social Security number to run a credit check. And I shouldn't be worried about my number falling into the wrong hands — after they ran the credit check, they would encrypt it."
Why encrypt it? If they actually needed it for the credit check, after they run the check and see your credit is good, they shouldn't need it at all after that, and just delete it completely. Why do all companies have to be such pack rats with customer information?
I think the real problem is credit bureaus. They really encourage SSN abuse, and the credit check is probably where most of the requests for SSN from companies originate. (and every company short of a corner drugstore wants a credit check now as a condition of doing business).
BTW. Why does digg keep inserting additional line breaks in my comments? I'm tired of having to re-edit them. - alexforcefive, on 12/06/2007, -3/+14A product being endorsed by someone who actually uses it? That is seriously impressive. Todd Davis is an absolute legend.
*Always protect your social security number. Do not share it unless necessary. - Slicebox, on 12/06/2007, -3/+14What is the upshot though? How do you easily decline to provide your SSN w/o going through a big hassle?
- wvdavis, on 12/06/2007, -1/+11dude.. it's Todd Davis!
- inactive, on 12/06/2007, -2/+12some form of security other than a piece of unlaminated cardstock with a number printed on it?
- ladalang, on 12/06/2007, -1/+11tin foil hat wearing, that was funny. People stone non-conformists, we need more non-conformists
- Error601, on 12/06/2007, -3/+13Huh? No one has asked for my SSN when buying anything for at least a decade. They even took it off our driver's license.
- diggface5000, on 12/06/2007, -0/+10I think it's a shame that companies are designing their business around the ssn. At the bank I worked at, that was the easiest and preferred way to look up an account. Yes, we needed that information initially to comply with the patriot act, but was it really necessary to use that as the primary identifier of our customers?
- inactive, on 12/06/2007, -0/+9And apparently banks, according to the article. (Not including credit cards). And, a doctor if you're on Medicare. I thought about this before, and I figured I'd end up trying to withhold it from a place that it turned out was allowed to require it.
- inactive, on 12/06/2007, -4/+13$10 a month for that is *****. The government requires us peons to have these identifications, it's their responsibility to be doing this.
- JonStark, on 12/06/2007, -1/+9LOL, true that!!! Damn, imagine the number of times you flew using public air fare with your duffle bag and listed on the side is your SSN.
- mrblonde314, on 12/06/2007, -0/+8"The irony is that Verizon, like many companies, pretends to care deeply about the issue of identity theft."
Just got done with Verizon training. And trust me, I hate corps as much as the next guy (yet I always find myself working for them), but they stressed (to the point where I was annoyed) to burn/shred/destroy ANYTHING that had so much as a name on it. I can tell you first hand that the people training us do in fact care. But one thing they did never teach us is that there is this way around it. Unfortunately the beginning of this story is right. You can't simply walk into a store and do this. Our system won't let us get past the box that requires the soc. Having worked in retail for 5+ years now, you don't understand how glad I am that my new job at least has this resolution. Customers can get mean in a flash when you ask for their soc (as they should). Other companies I've worked for would simply apologize and say 'we can't do business without it'. - VenTatsu, on 12/06/2007, -1/+9If he could run a national ad campaign with his SSN for all to see an only had $500 stolen I'd take that as a net win.
- brentinkc, on 12/06/2007, -0/+7Your full legal name, DOB, and driver's license is more than enough to identify an individual
- Ryaaan, on 12/06/2007, -0/+7I recently had an eye exam at Costco. The form to fill out your information had a SSN: field. I simply wrote "There's no way" on the line and handed it to the doctor before performing the exam. They didn't fight me, but thought it funny that I had written this. I saw the drawers that they kept the customer information in... not so secure.
- Dustin00, on 12/06/2007, -1/+8Wow. That is really bad.
- inactive, on 12/06/2007, -1/+7I don't see what would be the problem with making it point-blank illegal to ask for or record an SSN unless you're one of the institutions that require its use by law.
- guinnessstout, on 12/06/2007, -1/+7And the back of your military ID!
- inactive, on 12/06/2007, -1/+7To clarify, it's not illegal for a private business to ask for your number, but it is illegal for them to require it.
Privacy acts of 1974 & 1976
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/history/ssn/ssnchron ...
Social Security Act
http://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/ssact/comp-ssa.htm - inactive, on 12/06/2007, -2/+8How's that going to help? I mean, if you knew my social security number AND what bank I use, it might be a problem.
- inactive, on 12/06/2007, -0/+6The upshot of the article is that you can't. If you read the whole thing, the author spends a ridiculous amount of time trying to get a Verizon account without giving her SSN. And, technically, this didn't even happen. In the end, it turns out that Verizon ALREADY had it! And, they earlier claimed the number was encrypted, which it clearly was not as the representative had it.
- thatdiabeticguy, on 12/06/2007, -0/+5Is it just me or are the blurred letters on Barbara's card still legible
- dupswapdrop, on 12/06/2007, -1/+6The problem is that most places use your SSN to key their records so if you decline to give out your number you break their system. It's time to move someplace else when you need to show your ID all the time.
- ObeseSnake, on 12/06/2007, -0/+5People give out a lot of personal info without evening thinking about it. I was in a Tiger Direct outlet store a few weeks ago making a purchase with cash. They were very upset that I refused to give them my name or phone number and claimed that my purchased would not be returnable without them getting that info.
- totorototoro, on 12/06/2007, -3/+8Answer: Your place of work, and the Social Security Administration.
- mt066, on 12/06/2007, -2/+7Yeah we could all start refusing to use our soc. security cards tomorrow but then what would everyone use to verify your ID? They've got to use something or else everyone could just open accounts and ID theft you without it. The market is just going to settle on one or a few forms of "proven" ID to ensure their own financial security. If it isn't social security, then it would be your driver's license or birth certificate or whatever. And once that becomes the most popular form of ID, it will be the one targeted by identity thieves.
- MonkeyFit, on 12/06/2007, -1/+6Sadly, that can lead to charges of fraud.
- SiNN4R, on 12/06/2007, -0/+5Name, rank, and serial number.
- blackmage439, on 12/06/2007, -0/+5My college requires you to give your SSN as your "student ID." Anytime you have a problem, you always have to give that out. However, they offer a very simple, and sensible, fix. You can request to have a randomly-generated, bogus, ID number instead. As others have said, if identity thieves don't have your SSN to defraud you, they'll use something else. I understand that threat. I don't understand why companies are so careless about people's identities...
- inactive, on 12/06/2007, -2/+7Why not? The government requires people to do these things and should bear the responsibility of making sure it doesn't cause harm. Currently, the law requires that you give a SSN for certain purposes but says nothing about people requesting it without need. This should be made illegal due to the incredibly poor security of the system.
- MooseFruit, on 12/06/2007, -0/+5"I don't see what would be the problem with making it point-blank illegal to ask for or record an SSN"
Now THAT I agree with!!! - asshopo, on 12/06/2007, -1/+5Good luck buying a car or house.
- SRSco, on 12/06/2007, -0/+4That's not true. See: http://tinyurl.com/2cx4zh
- Chompy, on 12/06/2007, -1/+5When in doubt, just give them a fake SSN. If they legitimately need it, you'll be hearing back from them when they confirm that it's wrong.. and in the meantime, you don't have to fight 8 people on the phone about whether or not you have to give it to them.
- cawpin, on 12/06/2007, -0/+4The charges would on the company, not you. If they aren't legally allowed to require it they have no business using the number AS a SSN.
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