WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressmen John Tanner (D-TN), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Social Security, and Sam Johnson (R-TX), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, today introduced legislation to enhance the privacy of Social Security numbers in government and private sector records in order to protect Social Security programs from fraud and combat identity theft. The bill, the Social Security Number Privacy and Identity Theft Prevention Act of 2009, is identical to legislation unanimously reported by the Committee on Ways and Means in the 110th Congress. A summary of the legislation, along with Congressman Tanner’s and Congressman Johnson’s statements, can be found below.
Statement of Subcommittee Chairman Tanner:
“Today I join my colleague, the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Social Security Sam Johnson, to introduce the ‘Social Security Number Privacy and Identity Theft Prevention Act of 2009.’ This legislation is intended to enhance the privacy of Social Security numbers (SSNs) and combat identity theft. The bill we introduce today is identical to legislation reported unanimously by the Committee on Ways and Means in the 110th Congress. The legislation benefits from a long history of bipartisan support, and earlier versions also were sponsored in prior congresses by the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the Subcommittee since the 106th Congress.
“The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) tells us that identity theft is the fastest growing type of fraud in the United States with an estimated cost to consumers of about $50 billion annually. The FTC’s most recent survey on identity theft found that 8.3 percent of the nation’s adult population have been victims of this fraud. According to the private consulting firm Javelin Research and Strategy, nearly 10 million Americans were victims of this fraud in 2008, which is an increase of 22 percent over the number of victims in 2007.
“Identity theft is facilitated by the easy availability of SSNs in many public and private sector records. SSNs are valuable to criminals because they are relied upon by business to authenticate identity. They are the skeleton key that unlocks many other sources of private, personal information.
“The legislation we introduce today would restrict the sale, purchase, and public display of SSNs in the public and private sector, while providing for appropriate exceptions for certain legitimate business purposes, as well as for law enforcement and statistical research. While there are many legitimate business and government uses for SSNs, the unrestricted flow of private personal information that includes SSNs often makes it too easy for identity thieves and other criminals to obtain SSNs for their own purposes. The bill received strong support from privacy and consumer groups, as well as from the AARP, when it was adopted by the Committee last Congress.
“The bill strikes a balance between legitimate uses and the need for better protections for privacy of the SSN, in order to fight the scourge of identity theft.
Statement of Ranking Member Johnson:
“Americans are right to worry about the security of their personal information, including their Social Security number, and I don’t blame them. “According to the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, data breaches in the public or private sector of personal information in the past 4 ½ years total almost 300 million records. “The fact is that even though Social Security numbers were created to track wages for determining Social Security benefits, these numbers are widely used as personal identifiers. “In fact, in their April 2007 report, the President’s Identity Theft Task Force identified the Social Security number as the ‘most valuable commodity for an identity thief,’ and these thieves are working hard. “In a year nearly 10 million people or about 5 percent of adults learn they are victims of identity theft according to the Federal Trade Commission.
“Today, I join John Tanner, Chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security, to introduce the ‘Social Security Number Privacy and Identity Theft Prevention Act of 2009.’ This common-sense bill would help stop access to Social Security numbers by restricting their sale, purchase, and public display.
“It’s time to stop talking and take action to prevent ID theft and protect Americans’ privacy. Let’s get to work."
