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A comment on Senators push to ditch social security numbers in light of Equifax hack. Parent comment

Re:Senators push to ditch social security numbers in light o... by mark-r on Thursday November 09, 2017 @12:45AM (#15660166)
For a long time it was illegal to use SSNs as identifiers except for tax purposes. It was a mistake to allow that restriction to be rescinded.
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Re:Senators push to ditch social security numbers in light o... by masklinn on Thursday November 09, 2017 @03:41AM (#15660820)
It was never illegal, just not recommended (as printed on the SSN card).

The printing was removed because nobody gave two shits about it.

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Re:Senators push to ditch social security numbers in light o... by mark-r on Thursday November 09, 2017 @12:21PM (#15664106)
In researching the matter further I find that I was mistaken. I was thinking of the Privacy Act of 1974, which stated: "no Federal, State, or local government could withhold a right, privilege or benefit from a person simply because the person refused to furnish his or her SSN."[1] Somehow I've believed for many years that it applied to private businesses as well, my mistake.

[1] https://www.ssa.gov/legislation/testimony_031606.html

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