Yes, it kind of is public, because you have to use it in many contexts. But knowing a persons name and social security number allows you to do all kind of misu

Yes, it kind of is public, because you have to use it in many contexts. But knowing a persons name and social security number allows you to do all kind of misuse, i. e. identity theft. I have not lived in Sweden for 30 years, but I assume many things still work similar as here in Finland. Closing other people's credit cards and mobile phone subscriptions typically works by knowing the social security number. Ordering online without credit card and paying the bill (or not) after delivery, too.