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From: md@marvin.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Social Security numbers & telephone company
Message-ID: <8710201859.AA01907@marvin.io.uucp>
Date: Tue, 20-Oct-87 14:59:10 EST
Article-I.D.: marvin.8710201859.AA01907
Posted: Tue Oct 20 14:59:10 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 25-Oct-87 09:04:10 EST
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    Recently while I was ordering new telephone service from New
England Telephone, I was asked to provide my Social Security number.
I refused, and there was no problem. When asked, the service 
representative explained that the numbers are used for internal 
credit checking purposes, and that they were not required.
    I wonder how useful they could be for credit checking if they
are not mandatory? If I gave them my number today and ran up unpaid
bills, I certainly wouldn't give it to them the next time. (Unlike
some states, there is no deposit in Massachusetts.) 
    I think that it is legal for anyone to ask me for my SS number 
and to use it for things like credit checks. Do others also have 
the right to *publish* it?  Can we expect N.E. Telephone to be 
selling a list of names, addresses, phone numbers and SS numbers 
some day? If so, should a monopoly public utility be allowed to do it?

	...!harvard!umb!ileaf!md	Mark Dionne, Interleaf
	  ...!sun!sunne!ileaf!md	Ten Canal Park, Cambridge, MA 02141
					(617) 577-9813 x5551