Locals Leave SSNs Unprotected

Official records containing Social Security numbers are available online or for bulk sale to private companies from most of the nation’s counties, raising the specter of possible misuse and identity theft for millions of Americans, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office.

“Many counties make public records that may contain Social Security Numbers [SSNs] available in bulk to businesses and individuals in response to state open-records laws, and also because private companies often request access to these records to support their business operations,” GAO found by surveying 247 counties in 45 states. “Our sample allows us to estimate that 85 percent of the largest counties make records with full or partial SSNs available in bulk or online, while smaller counties are less likely to do so (41 percent).”

Companies interviewed for the survey said they use SSNs as unique identifiers and to cross-identify persons across government documents. Although many companies claim they restrict access to the data, records sometimes are sent overseas for processing.