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Just a Canadian here with a snarky idea...

Start an activism movement to draw big ugly expensive attention to this whole Social Security Number misuse situation.

My understanding is Americans can get new Social Security Numbers. There is a process for this, requiring at least evidence that their SSN is being used by someone.[1] So take a reasonable interpretation of "used by" ... leaked and/or stolen recently in Maine, now in nefarious hands. Sounds like they "know" a cybercriminal group has this data. Intent to use? Not a stretch, so run with it. Good enough for common sense and popular support.

Yes, maybe this doesn't stand up to courts or IRS judgement but it's not an unreasonable request and an application from every taxpayer in Maine might stir up useful attention or change. i.e. question the half-baked status quo of "let's use SSNs for everyone's key in every database"

The media might enjoy it and keep this issue alive a little longer before it's yet another massive event quickly forgotten.

Or wishful thinking on my part. Sorry, Maine, this sucks.

[1] https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10064.pdf

1 comments

The worst part is the social security number is not supposed to be secret. Really it should be no more secret or effective than your name(which it represents). But some how it is treated as a password, a magical key that opens doors.

Yeah, the situation sucks.

Yup. In fact, it (at least was for decades) actually illegal for a company to use your SSN as an ID number.

But, it was standard practice for at least every medical insurance company and hospital I encountered.

I of course thought this was a bad idea, and found out about the law. Every time I went to interact with a new insurer or hospital, they'd assk for my SSN. I'd say that my SSN can NOT be my ID number, and invariably get in a 5-15 minute argument with the rep. I'd end up telling them to go check with their higher managers. They always came back saying "yes, we can use a different number, here's yours", or with a form filled in with "Assign ID" in the place of my SSN. Once I had my assigned ID, and just kept telling reps that ID when asked for my SSN, things were mostly fine.

Evidently, the main corporate policy was to break the law until someone called them out. Seems it would have been so much easier to just use the database UniqueID function for everyone...

Old social security cards said "carry this in your wallet". New social security cards say "don't carry this in your wallet".

https://i.redd.it/p7o3pq6fuwa91.jpg

Yet they still don't want to laminate the damn thing

I would be totally cool with not laminating it if they didn’t issue these things on paper that will disintegrate if you so much breathe at it the wrong way. Even that would be acceptable if it wasn’t a serious hassle to get it replaced.

FWIW mine has been laminated since my childhood and decades after the fact I’ve had no real issues with agencies about its lamination

I mean, the combination of not being laminated and disintegrating with ease is the point so far as I understand it. The idea being that if you ever drop your wallet with it in it somewhere then hopefully environmental conditions will degrade it beyond recognition before someone can find it and make use of it. Not saying that's a good or bad idea, just that it is in fact intentional.

Imma be pissed if this is the correct timeline lol. How mundane would that be?