Universities grapple with ID theft

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If they really wanted to put a dent in this problem...

...they'd quit using Social Security numbers as identifiers for students. The article makes an excellent point that they need to stop the practice of posting grades by SSN. I remember this from my college days. Teachers thought this was a good way to publicly post grades, but keep students' grades anonymous to each other (they figured you only knew your own SSN).

For years I didn't know what my SSN was, until I went to college. I used it so much for common services that I memorized it. Anytime I needed to check out a book from the university library, or get information from some university office, I had to give it to them.

Back in the day (early 90s), ID theft wasn't a concern. It hadn't even been invented yet, best I can tell, though there were a few faculty who raised a fuss about employers requiring that applicants put their SSN on job applications, saying it was an unnecessary violation of privacy. The practice was common and all people could do was complain about it. Nothing was going to change. As far as I know it still hasn't. I was asked for my SSN on a job application 2 years ago.

Posted by: Mark Miller   Posted on: 08/19/05 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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