The Federal Trade Commission is requesting comment on the use of Social Security Numbers (SSNs) in the financial services industry, and within the private sector more generally, in response to recommendations established by the President's Task Force on Identity Theft. Supervised institutions are under no obligation to provide comments; participation is voluntary.
In issuing its strategic plan to address identity theft, the President's Task Force recommended that Task Force agencies, including the FTC, the federal financial institutions regulatory agencies and others develop a comprehensive record on the uses of the SSN in the private sector. The FTC is soliciting comments from all stakeholders on the various uses of SSNs in the private sector, the necessity of those uses, the alternatives available, the challenges faced by the sector in potentially moving away from the use of SSNs and how SSNs are obtained and used by identity thieves.
The FTC asks that comments be as specific as possible and be received on or before September 5, 2007.
See the SR letter for full details.
