Social Security Numbers and User Authentication

[Kathy Mcgreevy]

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!

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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
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