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boldboldness · 3425 days ago · link · · parent · post: OPM: 21.5 Million Social Security Numbers Stolen From Government Computers
In all honesty, this really shouldn't be a problem. The real problem is that we've attached so much baggage to what is really just an ID in SSA's database. Giving away your Social Security Number in no manner should open you up to persistent hassles of identity theft and credit card fraud. Maybe instead of treating an SSN as a freakish username-password-hybrid, another sort of authorization system should be established. We really need to strip all of the paranoia from keeping the SSN private, especially since it needs to be freely given away for many transactions and accounts.