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Gaps Exist in Laws Protecting Use of Social Security Numbers NewsMax WiresWASHINGTON - Information resellers, credit bureaus and health care companies routinely acquire Social Security numbers from their customers and face few restrictions on using and keeping them, congressional investigators say. Current laws provide varying degrees of protection, depending on the source of information, according to a report released Tuesday by the General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress. Public records are a primary source of personal data for many information resellers. Social Security numbers contained in public records can be displayed, bought and sold without federal restrictions. Numbers obtained from financial institutions or certain government records are restricted in disclosure and use, with exceptions for certain law enforcement, child support enforcement and business uses, the report said. The study was requested by Rep. E. Clay Shaw, R-Fla., chairman of the House Ways and Means Social Security subcommittee. "Individuals are frequently required to surrender their Social Security numbers to government organizations and businesses, but gaps in current law allow this golden key to Americans' personal financial information to fall into the hands of identity thieves," Shaw said. Information resellers generally are not required to verify that the purchaser or recipient abides by certain disclosure restrictions. When GAO investigators accessed certain Internet-based resellers to obtain personal information using a Social Security number, the reseller did not attempt to verify that the information bought would be used for legitimate and legal purposes, the report said.
© 2003 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Editor's note: Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics: |
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