Social Security Numbers: Private Sector Entities Routinely Obtain and Use SSNs, and Laws Limit the Disclosure of This Information;Report to the Congress

摘要

The Social Security number (SSN) is used for a myriad of non-Social Security purposes. Private and public sector entities frequently ask individuals for SSNs in order to conduct their business and sometimes to comply with federal laws. Certain private sector entities, such as consumer reporting agencies (CRAs), information brokers or resellers, and health care organizations, use the SSN as a key piece of information that enables them to conduct their business and deliver services to their customers. For example, business clients or individual customers provide SSNs to these entities, and the numbers are used to produce credit reports or verify information about individuals for employment and other purposes. However, given the apparent rise in identity theft crime, as recently reported by the Federal Trade Commission, as well as the rapidly increasing availability of personal information over the Internet, Congress has expressed concern over how certain private sector entities obtain, use, and safeguard SSN data.