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the real issue here is everyone assuming social security numbers are meant to be 'secret'. It is a terrible way to authenticate someone. There have been recent
by sriramk 16y ago
the real issue here is everyone assuming social security numbers are meant to be 'secret'. It is a terrible way to authenticate someone. There have been recent studies to show how non-random someone's number actually is.
Someone recently suggested the 'nuclear' option of making everyone's social security number public and forcing all institutions to figure out a better model. This may be too extreme but something like that may be necessary
- cookiecaper 16y agoI agree that SSNs are used in a contradictory manner. They are both a universal identifier -- something you have to give to open a bank account, etc., and something that many places use to track your information, and a universal authenticator, wherein only YOU are supposed to know your SSN. It's like requiring everyone's username to double as their password. It is seriously broken system, something else has to be figured out.
- raganwald 16y ago>t's like requiring everyone's username to double as their password. Reminds me of the old joke: Store Cashier: If you'll just give me your SSN, I'll sign you up for our rewards program. Customer: Can you keep a secret? Store Cashier: Of course! Customer: So can I.
- curio 16y agoand while we're on the topic of how broken SSN's are... why is it that the most important piece of identification you receive in your life, that you also need to keep forever, is printed on a crappy piece of paper???
- nkassis 16y agoI was really astonished by this when I moved to the US from Canada. Canada gives you a plastic card while after 7 years, my SSN card has pretty much turned into a disintegrating pile of paper dust.
- ultrasaurus 16y agoI once worked somewhere where to reset your network password you needed to provide the last 4. As in anyone could use anyone's account without even guessing the password. To make matters worse, I had my username wrong, and so they helpfully told me "my" SSN, which was someone else's. We live in a world where I have an 8 digit alphanumeric password protecting my weather preferences, but nothing protecting my credit.
- TallGuyShort 16y agoI just get annoyed whenever I'm asked for my social security number for something stupid. They always ask me for it at blood drives, and if I ask why they need it, they get really mad and have never given me a decent answer. If I refuse they assign me a different tracking number but treat me like dirt the whole time.
- cullenking 16y agoAt least it's not legally required. Every company needs to have an alternative from my understanding. Not sure where this is stated, but at least every company, aside from financial institutions, has allowed me to not use an SSN. It just usually takes a conversation with a couple supervisors and a callback.
- LiveTheDream 16y agoThe annoying thing is precisely the conversation that is required to convince the person on the other side of the phone call that they do not, in fact, require your SSN.
- emehrkay 16y agoI'm starting to feel that way about my phone number buys some socks from the gap cashier: may I have your number? me: why on earth do you need that? People actually answer you when you ask them that?
- smallblacksun 16y agoOne of the biggest users of social security numbers for identification is the US military. When my dad was in the army, my mom and I both had his SSN memorized because we had to use it so often on paperwork.
- philwelch 16y agoIn fact, the US military uses the SSN for the serial number, as in "name, rank, and serial number", the (only) information you are supposed to report to your captors if taken prisoner. I've always worried that enemy forces would capture our troops, steal their identities, and then ruin their credit.
- Retric 16y agoLOL, I am going to remember that one. Anyway, I have access to the SSN of just about everyone in the army over the last five years. The do give the special forces people substitute SSN numbers but other than that it's fairly easy information to get access to if you if you are doing any sort of analysis of army trends.
- orblivion 16y agoHell, they might as well. Our college used them as ID numbers for the first year I was there. We wrote it on all our tests. Forget about it, that stuff isn't secure.
- RK 16y agoMy brother had his identity stolen while he was in school. The perpetrator turned out to be a person who worked in the registrar's office! When I started grad school they used SSN as the ID number too. I went to the registrar and asked them to change mine. They said they couldn't do it because, as a TA, I was considered an employee and they "had to" use my SSN. You can imagine I wasn't happy.
- pavel_lishin 16y agoI was working for the graduate dean's office at my university, and was helping set up a big presentation for new teaching assistants. One of the talks being given was the importance of security and privacy, with a lot of focus on keeping your SSN secure. As the talk began, the presenter passed around a sheet and asked everyone to sign in - with their name, school, and social security number. It made it halfway around the big conference hall, and halfway through the talk, before someone finally raised their hand and asked about the incongruity of being at a talk about the importance of keeping SSN's secret, while being asked to sign in with them.
- whakojacko 16y agoMy school still does. I believe you can get it changed, but its a PITA
- grayrest 16y agoGeorgia Tech started off doing this and switched over to a fake 9 digit number while I was there (2001?ish). Since I still remember/recognize it, I use it as my SSN more or less everywhere except for work/W2.
- barake 16y agoWow, how long ago was this? Totally a FERPA violation these days. Hell, even the randomly generated student IDs may be private soon. We're already implementing PINs that will need to be entered before staff can talk to students about billing and aid.