I'm pretty certain you can ask them for a random number instead, as only the government is allowed (last I recall) to __require__ an SSN. I know my doctors can

I'm pretty certain you can ask them for a random number instead, as only the government is allowed (last I recall) to __require__ an SSN. I know my doctors can ask for it, but are required to accept an alternative if I don't wish to provide the SSN. For example: http://www.identityhawk.com/Who-Can-Lawfully-Request-My-Social-Security-Number http://www.identityhawk.com/Who-Can-Lawfully-Request-My-Soci... Sadly, it's too late in the day for me to try to parse this: http://www.justice.gov/opcl/social-security-number-usage http://www.justice.gov/opcl/social-security-number-usage