The White House and Equifax Agree: Social Security Numbers Should Go

Started by Ms.Independence, October 03, 2017, 05:09:47 PM

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Ms.Independence

So ... I can't help but wonder if all these 'security' breaches, with the latest being Equifax, are indeed accidental. Silicon Valley is ready for implanting chips.

The White House and Equifax Agree: Social Security Numbers Should Go

The Trump administration is exploring ways to replace the use of Social Security numbers as the main method of assuring people's identities in the wake of consumer credit agency Equifax Inc.'s massive data breach.

The administration has called on federal departments and agencies to look into the vulnerabilities of employing the identifier tied to retirement benefits, as well as how to replace the existing system, according to Rob Joyce, special assistant to the president and White House cybersecurity coordinator.

"I feel very strongly that the Social Security number has outlived its usefulness," Joyce said Tuesday at a cyber conference in Washington organized by the Washington Post. "Every time we use the Social Security number, you put it at risk."

Joyce's comments came as former Equifax CEO Richard Smith testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the first of four hearings this week on Capitol Hill. Lawmakers from both parties expressed outrage over the size of the breach as well as the company's response and grilled Smith on the timeline of the incident, including when top executives learned about it.

Smith said the rising number of hacks involving Social Security numbers have eroded its security value.......

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-03/white-house-and-equifax-agree-social-security-numbers-should-go
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another...Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed...

Solar

Official Trump Cult Member

#WWG1WGA

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walkstall

Quote from: Solar on October 03, 2017, 06:10:33 PM
It's simple, the Fed needs to stop using it as an ID card.

Everyone needs to stop using it.   (what are the last four digits of your SSN)
A politician thinks of the next election. A statesman, of the next generation.- James Freeman Clarke

Always remember "Feelings Aren't Facts."

Ms.Independence

I have my doubts about this Equifax breach:

The other day, I received a call from my credit card company; my card had been 'hijacked' in TX and they had to issue me a new card. Keep in mind that this is my 5th credit card number in 3 years.  So ... when I received the new card, I went to update my Lifelock account with the new card number only to find out that there have been several attempts to 'hijack' that account as well.  After a couple of days I finally got everything squared away (for now).

Today, I had to go to the DMV to get a new fangled "Real ID Compliant" drivers license as mine is due to expire.  So ... I had to produce my old driver's license, certified copy of my birth certificate, social security card, certified copy of my marriage license, copy of deed to home, and utility bill with my name on it - all just to get a drivers license renewed.  So ... with all this information submitted ... why, oh why are they really wanting to do away with the SS#'s? I thought this was the whole premise behind being 'Real ID Compliant'.

The clincher though was that the DMV scanned ALL of the documents and put them into a database!!  I asked what happens if the DMV is breached?  Her answer was, "I don't know what to tell you" ... it's all public record anyways ... the information all goes to the police station"!!

Really??  So ... now Uncle Sam has all my identifying documents in one place ... just waiting for the next hacker wanting to steal my identity.

Perhaps we need to revisit using computers and the internet for paying bills, banking, signing loans, etc., etc., or perhaps going back to basic paper records and files and doing away with computers altogether -- pretty difficult to hack into paper records and files unless you physically break into the office where they're held.
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another...Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed...

walkstall

Quote from: Ms.Independence on October 04, 2017, 06:15:59 PM
I have my doubts about this Equifax breach:

The other day, I received a call from my credit card company; my card had been 'hijacked' in TX and they had to issue me a new card. Keep in mind that this is my 5th credit card number in 3 years.  So ... when I received the new card, I went to update my Lifelock account with the new card number only to find out that there have been several attempts to 'hijack' that account as well.  After a couple of days I finally got everything squared away (for now).

Today, I had to go to the DMV to get a new fangled "Real ID Compliant" drivers license as mine is due to expire.  So ... I had to produce my old driver's license, certified copy of my birth certificate, social security card, certified copy of my marriage license, copy of deed to home, and utility bill with my name on it - all just to get a drivers license renewed.  So ... with all this information submitted ... why, oh why are they really wanting to do away with the SS#'s? I thought this was the whole premise behind being 'Real ID Compliant'.

The clincher though was that the DMV scanned ALL of the documents and put them into a database!!  I asked what happens if the DMV is breached?  Her answer was, "I don't know what to tell you" ... it's all public record anyways ... the information all goes to the police station"!!

Really??  So ... now Uncle Sam has all my identifying documents in one place ... just waiting for the next hacker wanting to steal my identity.

Perhaps we need to revisit using computers and the internet for paying bills, banking, signing loans, etc., etc., or perhaps going back to basic paper records and files and doing away with computers altogether -- pretty difficult to hack into paper records and files unless you physically break into the office where they're held.


Trust me that is not something new.  They did it in the old days.
A politician thinks of the next election. A statesman, of the next generation.- James Freeman Clarke

Always remember "Feelings Aren't Facts."