dukkillr said:
It is not illegal to require a social security number. This is a similar situation to another one that gets debated frequently here, that being the right of a private land owner to ban others from bring firearms onto the premises. Remember that in this country, with very few exceptions (mostly based on racial discrimination) you can refuse to do business with anyone for any reason. While it is well within your rights to refuse it's then well within their right to refuse to do business with you. They are, afterall, private entities and have their own right to make decisions for themselves.
Pretend that 200 years ago you wanted to buy some ground in a new town. You go into the bank and ask for a loan. Back then your name was enough to keep records and a signature would suffice. But what would happen if you decided you wouldn't give your name? The banker would tell you to take a hike. Were you within your rights to refuse? Yes. Was he within his rights to refuse to do business with you? Yes.
You just have to decide for yourself whether the fear of ID theft outweighs the service you want.
Well, the SSA original regulations stated that the SS number was to be used only SS account purposes and that was it. Nowadays, they claim the same thing except other government agencies are nowadays empowered to demand same. As Dukkillr said others can request the number, but you are within rights to refuse and to ask questions. From the SS Administrations own mouth:
Question
Must I provide a Social Security number (SSN) to any business or government agency that asks?
Answer
The Social Security number (SSN) was originally devised to keep an accurate record of each individuals earnings, and to subsequently monitor benefits paid under the Social Security program. However, use of the SSN as a general identifier has grown to the point where it is the most commonly used and convenient identifier for all types of record-keeping systems in the United States.
Specific laws require a person to provide his/her SSN for certain purposes. While we cannot give you a comprehensive list of all situations where an SSN might be required or requested, an SSN is required/requested by:
Internal Revenue Service for tax returns and federal loans
Employers for wage and tax reporting purposes
States for the school lunch program
Banks for monetary transactions
Veterans Administration as a hospital admission number
Department of Labor for workers compensation
Department of Education for Student Loans
States to administer any tax, general public assistance, motor vehicle or drivers license law within its jurisdiction
States for child support enforcement
States for commercial drivers licenses
States for Food Stamps
States for Medicaid
States for Unemployment Compensation
States for Temporary Assistance to Needy Families
U.S. Treasury for U.S. Savings Bonds
The Privacy Act regulates the use of SSNs by government agencies. When a Federal, State, or local government agency asks an individual to disclose his or her Social Security number, the Privacy Act requires the agency to inform the person of the following: the statutory or other authority for requesting the information; whether disclosure is mandatory or voluntary; what uses will be made of the information; and the consequences, if any, of failure to provide the information.
If a business or other enterprise asks you for your SSN, you can refuse to give it. However, that may mean doing without the purchase or service for which your number was requested. For example, utility companies and other services ask for a Social Security number, but do not need it; they can do a credit check or identify the person in their records by alternative means.
Giving your number is voluntary, even when you are asked for the number directly. If requested, you should ask why your number is needed, how your number will be used, what law requires you to give your number and what the consequences are if you refuse. The answers to these questions can help you decide if you want to give your Social Security number. The decision is yours.
For more detailed information, we recommend the publication at
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10002.html.
FYI..................................TM7