Data Breaches Show it’s Time to Rethink Use of Social Security Numbers

The Social Security number — created in 1936 to track Americans’ social benefits — was never meant to be a form of identity verification. But that line disappeared in the mid-1970s, and the single identifier proved convenient when it came time for the U.S. to handle information using computers.

But we shouldn’t be using an unchangeable nine-digit code for verification. It’s a little like having a Facebook password that we can’t change even if we know somebody else has it.

Full article: Data Breaches Show it’s Time to Rethink Social Security Numbers | Time.com