4 ms·
SSN's are not considered secret pieces of information you could easily publish all SSN's loop{ xxx-xx-xxx//following ssn format } However, when they are tied
by sprkyco 12y ago
SSN's are not considered secret pieces of information you could easily publish all SSN's
loop{
xxx-xx-xxx//following ssn format
}
However, when they are tied in with other identifying information this is when they become unique identifiers. The more associated information that is tied to the SSN the "more secure" the mechanism of identification is. I have noticed this proposal of just not using SSN at all and incorporating something else. An alternative is the password which has been proven to not be the best case scenario as users pick easy passwords to remember. Then 2fa become popular and is becoming much easier to use. Then there were gaps in the sms or voicemail method of 2fa. My point being that no matter the mechanism put into place to uniquely identify an individual there is no silver bullet. The more layers a company adds on the better. Not to say I support HIPPA or any other archaic legislation (PCI etc) these organizations are tasked with instituting laws or guidelines that are being outdated as fast as they are implemented and are required to make it as reasonable for every entity that is covered under these laws.
- mikeash 12y agoThere's no silver bullet, but it can't be hard to do better than a nine-digit number you reuse everywhere and is almost impossible to change.
- sprkyco 12y agoSo apparently there may be a loophole (info acquired from wikipedia confidence == low) The SSN wikipedia page at the very bottom mentions that SSN's used in advertising are considered invalid. Possible solution advertise all SSN's in card format invalidate them all and force hand of government? Implausible but not improbable. Or possibly advertise your own once it is known to be hacked...just throwing wet spaghetti at wall but there may be something that sticks.
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- qeorge 12y agoNot only could you publish them in a loop, until 2011 they were not random at all. Rather, the first 3 digits behaved much like an area code - if you know where someone was born, you can pretty easily guess the first 3 digits of their SSN. Apparently in 2011 they changed this, and now none of the numbers are significant.