wcs) (02/13/91)
In article <382.security.eff@pro-angmar> m.tiernan@pro-angmar.UUCP (Michael Tiernan) writes:
] Isn't there a federal mandate that states that you are not to use
] the SSN as an ID number but it provides no penalties for the misuse
] of it? I've shopped at a local lumber yard where they want your SSN
] written on any checks you use or they won't accept it.
The Federal Privacy Act of 1974 (amended a few times since then)
covers what government agencies can and can't do with SSNs,
and various state laws may further restrict that.
It doesn't apply to businesses; they can do anything they want with them.
Universities and other quasi-governmental organizations are borderline,
since you can argue about whether they're government or not.
Essentially, a government agency that wants your number has to
tell you why they want it, what they're going to do with it, and
whether it's mandatory or optional, and that the Privacy Act of 1974 applies.
If the privacy act doesn't let them demand the number, then you
don't have to give it. Most universities will grudgingly give you a
made-up student id number if you insist; SSNs don't start with 99-,
so that's a good pool of numbers.
State motor vehicle departments can demand the number when you
register a car or get a license. At least in New Jersey, the law
explicitly says what things they can do with it, and printing the
number on your license isn't listed. (I forget if that was
from the state law or from the federal one.) So if they want the
number, and if you need the state's permission to drive, you have to
give it to them, but you may be able to hassle them severely if they
print it on your license card.
As far as your local lumber yard is concerned, they can be as picky
as they want about whose checks they'll take - they'd rather not get
ripped off, and every extra piece of id helps a bit. Sounds fair.
If it bothers you, talk to the manager, and if he/she's un-cooperative,
you can decide whether to give the number, use cash,
or walk away leaving the shopping cart full of cement and 2x4s
for them to put back on the shelves.
--
Pray for peace;
Bill
# Bill Stewart 908-949-0705 erebus.att.com!wcs AT&T Bell Labs 4M-312 Holmdel NJ
# "I can see all Southeast Asia, I can see El Salvador, ..."