4 ms·

I say "no" every time, and people asking for it are flabbergasted and make it seem like I'm committing some sort of social taboo. "Why should I trust your compa

I say "no" every time, and people asking for it are flabbergasted and make it seem like I'm committing some sort of social taboo. "Why should I trust your company to protect me from identity theft?" is usually my retort, which they never have a compelling rejoinder.

Nifty3929 2y ago
The problem with this approach is that frequently the business doesn't care much about serving you. If you say no, they just say that's okay. Come back when you will. And then what? Fine if there are many options, but often there aren't. I'm thinking medical and banking here, but I'm sure there are many more where all the companies that offer the service you want/need require you to give them your SSN.
- grogenaut 2y ago
  Can you legally open a bank account without a SSN? Legit asking. Same qq for medical.
  - x3n0ph3n3 2y ago
    I always exclude my SSN on medical forms and have never had a problem. Banks are another matter...
    - Nifty3929 2y ago
      Lots of people in the US don't have SSN's, but are still entitled to medical services. The same is not true for banking.
  - Nifty3929 2y ago
    Pretty much no. Banks in the US are subject to Know Your Customer (KYC) laws that require them to collect a lot of personal information about you to uniquely identify you as an individual and tie you to past behavior and other entities you interact with. SSN is functionally a shortcut to most of this. Everybody has a unique one, and all the entities track you by it, so they can put those pieces together when and if necessary.
  - yencabulator 2y ago
    I know you could in mid-2000s. Couldn't get a credit card without a safety deposit (deposit $X, get a credit limit of $X), though.
- willis936 2y ago
  Where I've had the most friction is with background checks. They don't offer a "decline" option, so I have to either give them my SSN or tell them I don't have one. I have done the latter and it wasn't a big problem, just more work for them.

Nifty3929 2y ago

The problem with this approach is that frequently the business doesn't care much about serving you. If you say no, they just say that's okay. Come back when you will. And then what? Fine if there are many options, but often there aren't. I'm thinking medical and banking here, but I'm sure there are many more where all the companies that offer the service you want/need require you to give them your SSN.

grogenaut 2y ago
Can you legally open a bank account without a SSN? Legit asking. Same qq for medical.
- x3n0ph3n3 2y ago
  I always exclude my SSN on medical forms and have never had a problem. Banks are another matter...
  - Nifty3929 2y ago
    Lots of people in the US don't have SSN's, but are still entitled to medical services. The same is not true for banking.
- Nifty3929 2y ago
  Pretty much no. Banks in the US are subject to Know Your Customer (KYC) laws that require them to collect a lot of personal information about you to uniquely identify you as an individual and tie you to past behavior and other entities you interact with. SSN is functionally a shortcut to most of this. Everybody has a unique one, and all the entities track you by it, so they can put those pieces together when and if necessary.
- yencabulator 2y ago
  I know you could in mid-2000s. Couldn't get a credit card without a safety deposit (deposit $X, get a credit limit of $X), though.
willis936 2y ago
Where I've had the most friction is with background checks. They don't offer a "decline" option, so I have to either give them my SSN or tell them I don't have one. I have done the latter and it wasn't a big problem, just more work for them.