GAO Reports on Use of SSN's

"Private sector officials we spoke to agreed that, given the continued rise in identity crimes, removing SSNs from public display is a step in the right direction. However, these officials stated that they had legitimate uses for the SSN and that restricting business-to-business access or use of such information would hurt consumers and possibly aid identity thieves in their attempts to assume an individual?s identity by making it more difficult for businesses to verify an individual?s identity. Thus, any restrictions Congress deems necessary regarding SSNs will have to weigh the consequences of restricting the use of SSNs on the one hand with legitimate business needs for the use of SSNs on the other."