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16-Dec-1983
Dear Cecil:
My social security card says that my social security number is not to be used for
identification, yet the state requires it for driver's licenses and thecity needs it for
voter's registration. Do they have any federal authority to do this or did this practice
just start? --John C., Evanston, Illinois
Dear John:
Let's get with the program here. They didn't mean your social security number couldn't be
used for identification purposes, just that the card itself couldn't be presented as proof
of identity.
The reason for the warning was that prior to 1972 having a social security card didn't
prove much of anything, certainly not your identity. Obtaining a card was ridiculously
easy--all you had to do was stroll into any local social security office, fill out a form
or two, and they'd assign you a number there and then. Some of my lowlife high school
classmates took advantage of this lax procedure to obtain cards under several names.
When social security numbers were first issued in 1936, such shenanigans didn't matter
much, because the only thing you were supposed to do with the number was submit it to your
employer when you started a new job. In later years, however, the social security number
evolved into an unofficial national identity number (although the feds hate to admit
this).
In 1943 a presidential executive order directed the military and other government agencies
to use the number for identification purposes, and in 1961 the Internal Revenue Service
began using the number for taxpayer identification. Eventually states began requesting the
number on driver's license applications and the like.
Finally in 1972 Congress realized that the government's casual card-issuance procedures
were an invitation to abuse, and it decided to tighten things up. Applicants over age 18
now have to present proof of birth and proof of identity, and they also have to apply in
person. Other equally stringent regulations apply to minors and aliens.
Cards and numbers are no longer issued directly at the local office, but have to be
cleared through a central office in Baltimore, a process that takes about ten days. Among
other things this prevents an applicant from being issued more than one number. The cards
also employ a tamper-resistant printing process like that used on U.S. currency to prevent
unauthorized duplication.
As a result of all these changes, the "not to be used for identification" line
was dropped from the cards and a lot of places will accept them as proof of identity. You
just can't call them national identity cards, or at least the feds can't, because if they
do the right wing will freak.
--CECIL ADAMS
The Straight Dope / Questions or
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