by JAMES SPEAR
Originally a Social Security number was given so the government could keep track of earnings for tax purposes, but now everybody, from schools to banks and businesses, is using Social Security numbers for identification.
Most people have their SSN memorized like they do their phone number. We use it on a daily basis, especially on campus. Without your SSN, you practically don't exist. It's on your signature card. It's how you identify your score on exams. It's even is on your paychecks. You need your Social Security number to plan your class schedule and to obtain your transcripts.
From a business or a academic standpoint, this is a very convenient method to keep track of a large number of people. According to C/NET News.com, more than 6 million SSNs are issued each year. Never a duplicate. The job is done already for independent organizations who need to identify people.
So what's the problem? Really it's a question of privacy. The SSN has come to be a lot more than just identification. It is considered by many organizations to also be authorization.
Consider this ... just last week my parents got a phone bill in the mail from MCI. Nothing weird yet ... They were surprised though that the bill was for $250. Also in the letter from MCI was a warning, 'We will suspend your services if you fail to pay...'
My parents knew this couldn't be their bill. After a bit of investigative work, they found out that my 'Crazy' aunt in California had posed as my mother, giving MCI her SSN and maiden name. MCI, after obtaining what they deemed personal identification and perhaps authorization, proceeded to grant an impersonator full services.
This really got me thinking. What's in a SSN? Should I be so carefree with my SSN? Should I refuse to give it to people who ask. And what could someone do if they got my number?
According to the Social Security office, the nine-digit Social Security number is divided into three parts. The first three numbers generally indicate the state the person is living in when they apply for their number. The middle two digits of a SSN have no special significance, but serve instead to break the numbers up. The last four characters are a rising progression of assigned numbers.
You have to give your SSN to your employer when you start a job. It's important to be accurate when giving them your number. You won't get credit for your earnings if you don't, according to the Social Security office. Some people use another person's number on purpose. They may be an illegal alien or have intentions to do harm to the company ... another very good reason to keep your number close and private.
If your SSN has been used to run up bills or obtain credit, Social Security cannot straighten out your credit record. You must contact each credit agency yourself. Nor can they fix incorrect reports made by an employer to unemployment or welfare offices. You will need to contact the state or local office to correct your record.
But what can you do if some company, organization or school wants to use your SSN and you don't feel good about it?
The Privacy Act of 1974 requires that any state or local government agency that requests your SSN has to tell you four things:
1. The authority which authorizes the requirement of the information and whether disclosure of such information is mandatory or voluntary.
2. The principal purposes for which the information is intended to be used.
3.The routine uses which may be made of the information, as published annually in the Federal Register.
4.The effects on you, if any, of not providing all or any part of the requested information.
However, the Act requires state and local agencies which request the SSN to inform the individual of only three things:
1. Whether the disclosure is mandatory or voluntary.
2. By what statutory or other authority the SSN is solicited.
3.What uses will be made of the number.
The Act also makes it 'illegal for Federal, state, and local government agencies to deny any rights, privileges or benefits to individuals who refuse to provide their SSNs unless the disclosure is required by Federal statute, or the disclosure is to an agency for use in a record system which required the SSN before 1975.'
A major problem with the use of SSNs as identifiers, according to an organization called Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility, is that it makes it hard to control access to personal information. Even assuming you want someone to be able to find out some things about you, there's no reason to believe that you want to make all records concerning yourself available.
When multiple record systems are all keyed by the same identifier, and all are intended to be easily accessible to some users, it becomes difficult to allow someone access to some of the information about a person while restricting them to specific topics, according to the CPSR.
Unfortunately, too many organizations assume that anyone who presents your SSN must be you. This is true all over campus.
On several occasions I have gone to take a test in the testing center with no other identification than my Social Security card, and I was allowed to go in and take the exam. The same is true when you ask for student account information or class schedule information.
So how do you keep someone from stealing your card? The CPSR has a few tips:
1. It's not a good idea to carry your SSN card with you (or other documents that contain your SSN). If you should lose your wallet or purse, your SSN would make it easier for a thief to apply for credit in your name or otherwise fraudulently use your number.
2. Some states that normally use SSNs as the drivers license number will give you a different number if you ask. If your health insurance plan uses your SSN for an ID number, it's probably on your insurance card. If you are unable to get the insurance plan to change your number, you may want to photocopy your card with your SSN covered and carry the copy. You can then give a health care provider your number separately.
If someone wants your number and you question whether they really need it or not, here's a few things you can do about it:
1. Talk to people higher up in the organization. This often works simply because the organization has a standard way of dealing with requests not to use the SSN, and the first person you deal with just hasn't been around long enough to know what it is.
2. Enlist the aid of your employer. You have to decide whether talking to someone in personnel, and possibly trying to change corporate policy, is going to get back to your supervisor and affect your job. The people in the personnel and benefits departments often carry a lot of weight when dealing with health insurance companies.
3. Threaten to complain to a consumer affairs bureau. Most newspapers can get a quick response. Ask for their 'Action' or equivalent. If you're dealing with a local government agency, look in the state or local government section of the book under 'consumer affairs.' If it's a federal agency, your congress member may be able to help.
4. Insist that they document a corporate policy requiring the number. When someone can't find a written policy or doesn't to push hard enough to get it, they'll often realize that they don't know what the policy is, and they've just been following tradition.
5. Ask what they need it for and suggest alternatives. If you're talking to someone who has some independence, and they'd like to help, they will sometimes admit that they know the reason the company wants it, and you can satisfy that requirement a different way.
6. Tell them you'll take your business elsewhere (and follow through if they don't cooperate.)
7. If it's a case where you've gotten service already, but someone insists that you have to provide your number in order to have a continuing relationship, you can choose to ignore the request in hopes that they'll forget or find another solution before you get tired of the interruption. While BYU is probably not filled with lurking creeps waiting to steal your SSN, it wouldn't hurt to exercise a bit of caution before carelessly sharing or leaving your number just sitting around.