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A comment on Lessons learned while protecting Gmail. Parent comment

Re:Lessons learned while protecting Gmail by wildmusings on Tuesday March 29, 2016 @08:17PM (#11386053)
You can buy lists of Social Security numbers online. You give it to dozens of people and companies in your life, and thousands more have access to it afterward.
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Re:Lessons learned while protecting Gmail by wonderlust on Wednesday March 30, 2016 @12:07AM (#11386910)
And with it you can steal an identity.
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Re:Lessons learned while protecting Gmail by felisml on Wednesday March 30, 2016 @12:24AM (#11386955)
Because countless companies are stupid and treat it as authentication.

It's a password that you reuse everywhere and never change.

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Re:Lessons learned while protecting Gmail by eru on Wednesday March 30, 2016 @06:59AM (#11388355)
By the way, you _can_ change your SSN. Nobody ever bothers to do so, though.
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Re:Lessons learned while protecting Gmail by nommm-nommm on Wednesday March 30, 2016 @12:26PM (#11390448)
Only under certain circumstances.

"The SSA may assign a new Social Security numberto you if you are being harassed, abused, or are in grave danger when using the original number, or if you can prove that someone has stolen your number and is using it."

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