Most of the problem with SSNs comes from credit fraud identity theft. If you freeze your credit file it prevents lenders from running credit checks without specific authorization. And with a blocked credit check the thief will be unable to borrow money in your name. I've had my files frozen for several years.
They need to make SSN # assignments more random. Right now it seems like its pretty much a consecutive set. You can just add +x to your social security #, and get a valid number
No, they just need to not be used for authentication, but only for identification. Everyone's SSN should be published by the government to force people to realize that they aren't (and never have been) secret information.
But it does need to be treated as secret information - that's the problem. Your SSN is can cause you a great deal of frustration and expense if it is abused. It would be nice if that were not the case.
people update their driver license photos all the time. + infants etc can be issued the regular card, and when they turn 16, they can be required to get the photo and then be required to update it every 10 years.
why not add a 2nd #(like a 4 digit pin) for each social security #. Credit cards have them, why not something as important as your official government id?
Interesting, especially if you could set that PIN yourself. So if you were the victim of identity theft (or suspected you would be) you could change the PIN on your SSN.
Of course, they'd have to have some kind of retrieval mechanism for your PIN if you forgot it, and it would probably ask your mother's maiden name...
And even worse given that the last 4 digits of your SSN have been regarded in the past as a "safe" way to identify people... I know people whose email address was based on it, for instance.
http://www.consumersunion.org/campaigns/learn_more/003484ind...