DoD to reduce use of Social Security numbers - Air Force News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Air Force Times

DoD to reduce use of Social Security numbers

The Defense Department is preparing to launch a militarywide effort to reduce the use of Social Security numbers to lower the chances of identity theft for military and civilian workers and contractors.

But the announcement, included in the March 3 Federal Register, makes clear that stopping the use of Social Security numbers altogether is not feasible.

The SSN is a prize to identity thieves, but it also has become ingrained in various military uses that can’t be fully eliminated, defense officials said. They are proposing new regulations calling for a complete review of military records and reports to determine when the number isn’t necessary.

In phases, starting in 1969 and ending in 1974, Social Security numbers replaced service numbers as the primary identifier and authenticator of military personnel.

Expanded use of SSNs has increased efficiency and allowed Defense Department information systems and processes to work together and transfer data “with a greatly reduced chance of errors,” officials said in the notice of proposed regulations.

But the threat of identity theft, they said, “has rendered this widespread use unacceptable,” resulting in the requirement that all federal agencies evaluate how SSNs are used and eliminate their unnecessary use.

The proposed regulation, open for comment until May 3, says there are several purposes for which SSNs remain acceptable, such as for employment and tax purposes, security clearance investigations, computer matching with other government agencies, and as the primary form of identification for Geneva Conventions purposes.

In all other cases, the proposed regulation directs a review of every instance when SSNs are used in military records to determine if a replacement is possible.

Alternatives could be a unique electronic identifier, one not known to the individual but used only in machine-to-machine transactions; temporary identifying numbers for some specific uses; and biometrics.

“Every report, display, printout and transaction shall be reviewed to determine the requirements for the use of the SSN,” defense officials said.

If a particular usage can be dropped, it will be. If an identifier is needed but it doesn’t have to be the SSN, an alternative will be used. If there is no substitute for the SSN, a flag or general officer or a Senior Executive Service civilian must authorize the use and “come up with security rules to reduce exposure of the number outside official use.”