Social Security Numbers and User Authentication

[John Doyle]

look at http://cpsr.org/cpsr/privacy/ssn/ssn.faq.html

On Mon, 3 Nov 1997, Kathy Mcgreevy wrote:

> 
> Our campus Computing Services Department is currently working on the user
> authentication process that will validate our users for remote access 
> to IAC's SearchBank. They've proposed that people's
> social security numbers be used as their login ID to the College's
> online authentication process, i.e. a user will key in his/her SSN, a
> computer on campus will check it to verify that s/he is currently enrolled
> or employed here, and s/he'll be cleared for access to whatever we want
> them to have access to.
> 
> At a recent workshop, three librarians mentioned that they thought
> it was *illegal* to use the social security number for user
> authentication. (Not to mention that few people will want to anyway.)
> Does anyone know anything about the legality of using SSNs for
> authentication? (Haven't found anything in the archives of this list.)
> 
> Thanks for any info you can provide!
> 
> .................................................................
> Kathy McGreevy                     kathy at floyd.santarosa.edu
> Ref. Librarian, Electronic         kathy at sonic.net
>   Network Services                 http://www.santarosa.edu/~kathy
> 
> Santa Rosa Junior College          voice: 1-707-527-4547
> Santa Rosa, CA 95401               fax:   1-707-527-4545
> .................................................................
>