4 ms·
There is no problem with assigning people a number. the problem is that people start using that number as Verification, not as an identifier. People treat you
by briffle 8y ago
There is no problem with assigning people a number. the problem is that people start using that number as Verification, not as an identifier.
People treat your SSN as a password, when really, it just uniquely identifies you. Its basically an Email Address, not a password.
- reaperducer 8y agoit just uniquely identifies you Try working face-to-face in communities of recent, poor immigrants where five, six, even ten people using the same (likely purchased) SSN is not unusual. I've seen entire families using the same SSN.
- alkonaut 8y agoDon’t use any service that considers SSN a verification.
- lotsofpulp 8y agoFunctionally useless advice if you ever have to deal with mobile networks, internet service providers, financial institutions, utilities' providers, any government, schools, universities, and the list goes on.
- alkonaut 8y agoThose services take the SSN as proof of identity and not just identity? Wouldn’t most people’s SSN’s be leaked already so using SSN rather than proper ID isn’t much better than nothing?
- lotsofpulp 8y agoYes, when you call customer service you’re usually asked to provide your SSN to verify you are who you are. Some are finally requiring a PIN or passcode, but very few in my experience.
- alkonaut 8y agoProviding you SSN identifies you no better than your email address or postal address. It’s not a secret number. There may be a provider that has a 2FA. It should be a cheap way for them to get more business.
- saool 8y ago> it just uniquely identifies you not even. you need other data points, like DOB, to build enough uniqueness, and there are still many stories of collisions.