Government Technology

Widespread Use of Social Security Numbers Raises Concerns


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November 10, 2004 By

Lack of a broad, uniform government policy has exposed personal Social Security numbers in public records and on identity cards. Federal, state and local government agencies report SSNs are visible in records made available to the public and on various types of identity cards, according to a report issued yesterday by the General Accountability Office.

State Agencies in 41 states and the District of Columbia reported visible SSNs in at least one type of record and a few states have them in as many as 10 or more different records. SSNs were most often found on state and local court records and in local property ownership records.

While few state agencies make SSNs available over the Internet, as many as 28 percent of the nation's 3,141 counties do place them on the Internet, affecting millions of people, according to the GAO.

Federal agency display of SSNs in public records is prohibited under the Privacy Act of 1974. However, the GAO found that SSNs are displayed on cards issued to millions of individuals under the authority of federal agencies for identity purposes and health benefits. They involve approximately 42 million Medicare cards, 8 million Department of Defense identity and insurance cards and 7 million Veterans Affairs ID cards. There is no federal law prohibiting the display of SSNs on these cards.

The GAO recommends that the Office of Management and Budget identify those federal activities that require or engage in the display of SSNs on health insurance, identification or any other cards issued to federal government personnel or program beneficiaries and devise a government-wide policy to ensure a consistent approach to the display of SSNs.

The GAO did not make recommendations on how state and local governments should curtail the display of SSNs in public records, such as court and property ownership records.

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