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From: sdo@u1100a.UUCP (Scott Orshan)
Newsgroups: net.consumers
Subject: Re: social security numbers
Message-ID: <655@u1100a.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 3-May-84 11:11:52 EDT
Article-I.D.: u1100a.655
Posted: Thu May  3 11:11:52 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 4-May-84 03:36:20 EDT
References: <320@ihu1g.UUCP>
Organization: Bell Communications Research, Piscataway, NJ
Lines: 47

I don't see why people object to having a personal, unique identifier.
First of all, everybody says "I don't want to tell them MY SSN."
Remember - you weren't born with it - you asked the government to
give it to you.  You already have a fairly unique identifier -
NAME-BIRTHDAY-BIRTHTIME probably won't have many conflicts.
As programmers, you all realize how much easier it is to key off
a number rather than the above aggregate.

Now, I'm not stupid.  I realize what the complaining is about.
You're worried that if many databases use the same key, their
information can be combined, and provide someone with access
to far more information than is necessary.  Do you all think
that there is a "Big Sister" somewhere who writes all the software
in the country and types everyone's names into databases?
No, people.  It is YOU who are the software developers.
You are the ones who get asked to write a program combining
databases.  If you think it is unethical, complain about it,
and quit if necessary.  If you write a database access system,
put controls on it.  Someone's going to try to match the
keys anyway, and combine databases.  This usually leads to
problems.  It might as well be done right.  Let's just
control who does it.  Don't say - "But the government does it"
as if the government were a big box.  There are people on
this net who work for the government - THEY are this government
that everyone complains about.  They may even read this stuff.

I see many advantages to having unique identifiers.  For one
thing, we are unique people.  I don't mind if everyone I deal
with knows I am me.  It would solve a lot of problems.
How many times do you get duplicate mailings because you're
on a mailing list twice with your name spelled differently.
There are people who deliberately do this to determine where
their junk mail came from.

Look how much money cities save by matching their payroll
lists against their welfare lists.  The Federal Govt. is
matching its employee lists against the lists of people
who haven't paid  their federal school loans.  I don't
see this as a bad thing.

Let's not try to hide who we are. Let's try to control the
information collected about us.

		Scott Orshan
		Bell Communications Research
		201-981-3064
		{ihnp4,allegra,pyuxww}!u1100a!sdo