When the government established the Social Security System in 1935, every participant was issued a Social Security Number (SSN). This personal number was to be used solely for the administration of that system–nothing more.
But this limited-purpose SSN is being rapidly converted into a national identification number that will allow the federal government to easily keep track of all vital information regarding U.S. citizens. Today, there are almost 40 congressionally authorized uses for the SSN, and many states and private organizations now require a SSN to obtain a driver’s license, register to vote, apply for a job or open a bank account.
The most outrageous abuse of the SSN is the recently enacted federal rule that requires parents to get a number for their newborns in order to claim them as dependents. By forcing parents to “register their children with the state,” our country is coming dangerously close to the “Big Brother” surveillance nightmare portrayed in George Orwell’s “1984.”
To solve this growing problem, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) has recently introduced The Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (House Bill 3261) into Congress. Specifically, this bill would protect the integrity and confidentiality of everyone’s SSN and would also prohibit the federal government from establishing any uniform national identifying number.
Unless the abuses of the SSN are stopped, Americans will soon have a de facto national identification number, which would provide the federal government with the ability to track all of its citizens from cradle to grave. Please tell your representatives to protect our right to privacy by becoming a cosponsor of Rep. Paul’s Privacy Protection Act.
