PRIVACY

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER PRIVACY

THE ISSUE IS… Legislation to prohibit the display of Social Security numbers by government agencies and the private sector.

IT’S IMPORTANT BECAUSE… Over the past few years, the incidence of identity theft has been rising. This increase is largely due to the fact that it is relatively easy for individuals to access other people’s Social Security numbers. In an effort to reduce identity theft and to protect the privacy of individuals, several members of Congress have sponsored legislation to restrict the use and display of Social Security numbers by government agencies and private entities. Many in the business community argue that it is important for companies to continue to have access to Social Security numbers for legitimate purposes such as the transmission of credit reports. Insurers argue that prohibiting state governments from using Social Security numbers would make it much more difficult to access driver records for underwriting purposes. Some members of Congress are receptive to the idea of allowing the use of Social Security numbers for legitimate purposes, and it is important for any legislation to be carefully crafted to allow necessary access while protecting individuals’ privacy.

NAMIC POSITION… NAMIC believes that measures should be taken to reduce identity theft. Identity theft is a crime that causes tremendous expense for individual victims and the economy each year. It is important for certain entities to be able to continue to use Social Security numbers for legitimate business purposes such as transmitting credit reports for major financial transactions and accessing driver records for insurance underwriting purposes. Requiring governments and business to create other individual identifiers to use instead of Social Security numbers would be extremely expensive. NAMIC will work with Congress to find ways to prevent fraud and to protect the privacy of individuals while making sure that information is available for legitimate purposes that will ultimately benefit consumers.

Posted: Thursday, May 12, 2005 12:00:00 AM. Modified: Thursday, May 12, 2005 11:44:30 AM.

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We are 1,400 property/casualty insurance companies serving more than 135 million auto, home and business policyholders, with more than $196 billion in premiums accounting for 50 percent of the automobile/homeowners market and 31 percent of the business insurance market. We are the largest and most diverse property/casualty trade association in the country, with regional and local mutual insurance companies on main streets across America joining many of the country’s largest national insurers who also call NAMIC their home. More than 200,000 people are employed by NAMIC members.