Social Security Numbers..... Are they really yours?

[427Windsorman]

I keep seeing and hearing people say "My social security number", and it seems accepted by most as fact.

How many of you think the SSN is yours? If so, why do you think it is?

How many of you do not think it is yours? If not, why not?

This has the potential to be a very illuminating thread as to the perceptions of the SSN, and how it applies to people.

 

[92z28]

It says right on the card that they are not yours and if asked they must be returned.

 

[FBMphil]

I don't really care.

 

[Sniperdog]

ditto, they can fricken have it :shrug:

 

[92z28]

Also I have to add that it might also say "not valid for work without INS approval" or something along those lines if you are just a resident alien. Mine said that for the longest of times but if you presented your INS card along with it there was never any problems.

 

[04gtguy]

i thought that number was given to you at birth. so every time you need it, it links it to you.

 

[FordSVTFan]

Also I have to add that it might also say "not valid for work without INS approval" or something along those lines if you are just a resident alien. Mine said that for the longest of times but if you presented your INS card along with it there was never any problems.

There is no longer an INS.

 

[Zorabot]

I do not really know. If anyone steals my identity I feel sorry for them.

 

[427Windsorman]

i thought that number was given to you at birth. so every time you need it, it links it to you.

That is incorrect.

 

[echo412]

Information about you is not owned by you.

 

[427Windsorman]

If you are familiar with Simple Trusts, then you may have an idea of your relationship to the SSN.

 

[Ride Along]

The numbers are unique identifiers, and as of 1978 you were required to present identification to obtain one.

One interesting fact about SSN:
Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579) enacted effective September 27, 1975 to limit governmental use of the SSN:

Provided that no State or local government agency may withhold a benefit from a person simply because the individual refuses to furnish his or her SSN.
Required that Federal, State and local agencies which request an individual to disclose his/her SSN inform the individual if disclosure was mandatory or voluntary.


What are you trying to get at with the poll? The point of it? You have an agenda, wouldn't it just be easier to present that?

 

[ampstang]

We don't really own anything in this country.

 

[427Windsorman]

The numbers are unique identifiers, and as of 1978 you were required to present identification to obtain one.

One interesting fact about SSN:
Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579) enacted effective September 27, 1975 to limit governmental use of the SSN:

Provided that no State or local government agency may withhold a benefit from a person simply because the individual refuses to furnish his or her SSN.
Required that Federal, State and local agencies which request an individual to disclose his/her SSN inform the individual if disclosure was mandatory or voluntary.


What are you trying to get at with the poll? The point of it? You have an agenda, wouldn't it just be easier to present that?

No agenda. I was curious about how many people have any knowledge of their relationship to the SSA, and SSN. I have always suspected that most people in this nation are completely oblivious and ignorant to these things. This thread was posted out of curiosity as to the level of knowledge of these things just on SVTP.

It is also a good topic for discussion, as it forces one to think it out.

 

[Skrapmetal]

Does it bother you so much when someone says "my SSN" that you feel the need to inform them that they are wrong? Would you prefer they said "This is the SSN that is on the card I have"?

I call it 'my' SSN, because when I do... everyone knows what I am refering to. Nothing more.

So let's skip the part where you bait people into saying what you want them to say so you can launch your rant, and just get on with whatever it is you want to say.

 

[HomeboyNorm]

What was assigned at birth is yours unless you are assigned otherwise by the government.

 

[firemanmike]

i thought that number was given to you at birth. so every time you need it, it links it to you.

No, you apply for a number. So if you have a child and want to open a savings account and at times in the past, claim your child as a dependent on your taxes, you need to get that child an SS#, so it just kinda seems like you have one since birth, but many people don't get them until they're adults and start working.

From Wiki:
History
The first SSNs were issued by the Social Security Administration in November 1936 as part of the New Deal Social Security program. By the end of 1937, over 37 million numbers had been issued.[citation needed]

Before 1986, people often did not have a Social Security number until the age of about 14, since they were used for income tracking purposes, and those under that age seldom had substantial income. In 1986, American taxation law was altered so that individuals over 5 years old without Social Security numbers could not be successfully claimed as dependents on tax returns; by 1990 the threshold was lowered to 1 year old[3], and was later abolished altogether. Since then, parents have often applied for Social Security numbers for their children soon after birth; today, it can be done on the application for a birth certificate[4].

Social Security Cards up until the 1980s expressly stated the number and card were not to be used for identification purposes.

Purpose and use
The original purpose of this number was to track individuals' accounts within the Social Security program. It has since come to be used as a unique identifier for individuals within the United States, although rare errors occur where duplicates do exist. Employee records, patient records, student records, and credit records are sometimes indexed by Social Security number. The U.S. military has used the Social Security number as an identification number for the Army and Air Force since July 1, 1969, the Navy and Marine Corps since January 1, 1972, and the Coast Guard since October 1, 1974.[5]

Contrary to popular belief, there is no law requiring a U.S. citizen to apply for a Social Security number to live or work in the United States; however, it is required for parents to claim their children as tax dependents[6]. Although some people do not have an SSN assigned to them, it is becoming ever increasingly difficult to engage in legitimate financial activities without one.[citation needed]

That should put some light on the question, unless Wiki is wrong!!!

 

[Quadcammer]

when im at work, i type on "my" computer. Sure its not owned by me, its owned by my employer, but given that i've been granted its use, I take ownership of it.

p.s. who ****ing cares?

 

[Sapperstang]

Interesting.

 

[TripleBlackVert]

Try to change and then tell me if it's your or not!