| abstract
| - The Social Security Number (SSN) was created in 1936 as a means of tracking workers’ earnings and eligibility for Social Security benefits. SSNs are issued to most U.S. citizens, and to some non-citizens lawfully admitted to the United States. Since 1936, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has issued more than 400 million SSNs. Through a process known as enumeration, a unique nine-digit number is created. The number is divided into three parts — first three digits represent the geographic area where the SSN was assigned; the middle two are the group number, which is assigned in a specified order for each area number; and the last four are serial numbers ranging from 0001 to 9999. Although the SSN was originally created for administering the Social Security program, its use has expanded dramatically throughout both the public and private sectors. Federal use of the SSN was first mandated by President Roosevelt in 1943 with Executive Order 9397. This Executive Order required that any Federal department establishing a new system of permanent account numbers pertaining to an individual must exclusively utilize the SSN and that such personal information must be kept confidential. Today the SSN is required for the administration of a number of government benefit programs and the Federal income tax. Because of the number’s uniqueness and broad applicability, SSNs have become the identifier of choice for government agencies and private businesses, and are used for a myriad of non–Social Security purposes. Since 1936, “there have been almost 40 congressionally authorized uses for [them] as an identification number.” Companies trading in financial information are the largest private sector users of SSNs, with credit bureaus maintaining over 400 million files keyed to individual SSNs. Financial institutions, insurers, universities, health care entities, government agencies, and innumerable other organizations use this nine-digit sequence as a default identifier to ensure accurate matching of consumers with their information within organizations, to facilitate matching of consumer information with other organizations, and to avoid having to establish a different identification system for each set of benefits or records. Many SSN uses have also been legally mandated. The Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), for example, requires private sector entities, including banks, insurance companies, and employers, to collect SSNs for income and tax-related purposes. The numerous uses of the SSN reflect its considerable advantages as an identifier, because it is permanent, ubiquitous, and unique to each individual. The largest criminal database in the country maintained by the NCIC includes SSNs in its list of identifying characteristics. Courts, DMVs, federal agencies, professional licensing groups, and student loan administrators all utilize SSNs in the administration of their records. The ubiquitous nature of these once confidential identifiers provide identity thieves myriad opportunities to steal and use them.
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