Your papers, please

The continued below-the-radar establishment of a national identity card laid down another course of bricks recently, a September 10 mailing by the Electronic Privacy Information Center reveals.

The Social Security Administration recently issued public notice announcing that it will institute a new routine use for the Social Security Number (SSN), which will allow the agency to verify the name, date of birth and last four digits of the SSN for state voter registration purposes under the Social Security Act.

The SSN was created in 1936 as a nine-digit account number assigned by the Secretary of Health and Human Services for the purpose of administering the Social Security laws. SSNs were first intended for use exclusively by the federal government as a means of tracking earnings to determine the amount of Social Security taxes to credit to each worker's account.

But over time they've come to be used for a wide range of government uses reaching well beyond that original application, relating to taxes, a variety of government benefits, and so on. Now, EPIC fears, the new use

may lead to demands that voters produce their Social Security cards as proof of identity on Election Day. EPIC noted that the SSN was not created for this purpose, and argued that the expanded use will expose more users to identity theft or voter fraud.

A number created solely to track social security benefits now is your taxpayer ID number. Which also means that banks and places you have investments have to have it to make their required reports. It's used by credit bureaus to track your credit history. The health insurance industry uses it routinely to file your records. It identifies you to many motor vehicle bureaus and at a good number of colleges it's your student ID number. And now it's moving to become a voter ID number as well.

"What are we gonna do when Uncle Samuel comes around / Looking for the young one's name?
"Looking for the print of his hand / For the files in their numbers game?
"I don't want his chances for freedom / To ever be that slim.
"Let's not tell 'em about him."

EPIC comments on the issue can be found here as a .pdf file; it's webpage on SSN privacy is here.