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Social security numbers should be used as identifiers only when required by law. In fact, they were designed with a specific prohibition against the use of the number as an ID. If you were issued a card prior to the 1980s it stated that prohibition. Those uses are limited to income-related transactions and to a lesser degree public health records.
Credit bureaus have no business using them. Health care providers need them only for the purpose of public health reporting requirements. Insurance companies need them only when they pay out a settlement with tax liability.
Always say no when asked for your SSN in a retail transaction. You may be told that you must provide it, but if consumer resistance is prevalent they will find a better way. The more we complain, the more likely it will change.
Twenty-five years ago all your credit cards would have unique IDs and none of the creditors would dare ask for your SSN. It became standard specifically to enhance credit bureau data. In the old days, instant credit was rare. They actually took your application, checked it out, and then allowed you to charge. What a concept.
So-called identity theft is a problem created by credit bureaus and their abuse of the Social Security number system. Consider too that it's a theft of services because the government pays to establish and maintain the SSN system and private entities like credit bureaus use it without paying a licensing fee.
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