Twenty years ago, nobody gave a second thought to showing a Social Security number on a driver’s license. How times have changed! In the Internet Age, the Social Security number is the key to our personal, medical and financial records. If we don’t protect it, other people can unlock our lives and steal both our money and our reputations. The thought of a universal identifier like a Social Security number falling into the hands of an identity thief strikes a chord of fear in every consumer in this country, and it should.
There are a few easy steps that each of us can take to cut the risk of people’s Social Security numbers falling into the hands of a criminal. H.R. 948, the Social Security Number Protection Act, is a good start. This bill accomplishes something so simple that it is hard to believe it hasn’t been done already. It makes the sale and purchase of Social Security numbers illegal.
Buying and selling people’s Social Security numbers is just intolerable in modern society. Internet information brokers should not have the ability to sell our information to anyone who walks in the front door and plunks down a few dollars. As additional protection, the bill restricts the display of Social Security numbers online and prohibits requiring your number on any identification or membership card.