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@Archer@lemmy.world

Post #2833117

2026-02-16 22:45 UTC

They actually need to publicly release everyone’s SSNs so that they can’t be used for authentication anymore, which they never should have been

Replies (2)

  • I’ve been saying this for literal years now. They should release a publicly searchable database of every single SSN, name, and DOB. Force organizations to stop using those as a form of ID, because they’re not secure and never have been. Give it like a year of lead time. Like announce “March 1 2027, we’ll post the database” and then that gives institutions a full year to figure something new out.

    Open ##2833210

  • @remotelove@lemmy.ca 2026-02-17 03:08

    SSNs are generally considered public information but how the SSN is linked to other information is usually the more difficult bit to find and it's generally pay-walled. (Any jackass with a business license and a credit card can usually buy background check information for 'hiring'.) But no, it shouldn't be solely used for authentication. That is just dumb. However, it can be used as part of a larger verification and validation scheme while building authentication/authorization profiles. In most systems that I have seen that use full or partial SSNs, it is always linked to several other identifiers that need to match.

    Open ##2833211