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SSN's are not hard to get
In an economy in which many industries depend upon the data assigning/sorting/collecting work of the US government via the Social Security Administration it is not difficult at all to get SSN's.

You pretty much have to give your Social Security number for any sort of healthcare (to insurer or to hospital if not insured) to any college/ university/ trade school, to any financial advisor or agent, to tax preparer, to any lender (including school loans, mortgages, and most credit cards), any business wanting a credit report on a customer and even in order to get a cell phone.

Do you really believe it would be difficult to get a SSN from any of these places? Especially if you were willing to lie about who you are? ("pretexting" is such a nice word for yet another sanctioned form of lying).

Yet another way that our government supports business.

How expensive would it be for a company to develop and maintain a nearly complete numbering system for all the adults in the United States--with no one allowed to decline to participate?

No, the Social Security Administration *says* that our SSNs are protected, but congress has done nothing to protect the system. Instead, when some industry needs to be "bought off" in order to play nice, some language gets inserted into some bill that gives yet another source access to the SSN system.
Posted by: rgathercoal@...   Posted on: 09/07/06 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use
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Taking Legal Action  ken@... | 09/07/06
How many times must you be told???  No_Ax_to_Grind | 09/07/06
Assuming  teetotal | 09/07/06
You are right, so suggestions  No_Ax_to_Grind | 09/07/06
No. You are not right.  rrl1@... | 09/07/06
You learn the law...  No_Ax_to_Grind | 09/07/06
You are misinformed.  waltmaine | 09/07/06
Yes and no.  osreinstall | 09/08/06
Message has been deleted.  G Fedorchuk | 09/14/06
One more thing.  rrl1@... | 09/07/06
One more? You haven't made it to one yet.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 09/07/06
Ok, so you pay somebody to murder your wife, thats ok.  DonnieBoy | 09/07/06
probably both extremes are off  rgathercoal@... | 09/07/06
But HP accepted and even used the stolen information instead of calling the  DonnieBoy | 09/07/06
Doesn't mean that it's their first crime....  Hrothgar - PCLinuxOS User | 09/07/06
No, you are specifically hire them to commit a crime.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 09/07/06
Hmmmm  maldain | 09/07/06
So if I hire  No_Ax_to_Grind | 09/08/06
are you able to so easily determine agency?  rgathercoal@... | 09/07/06
And that is the point isn't it.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 09/08/06
HP can not pretend they did not know it was illegal to access personal  DonnieBoy | 09/07/06
Again...  No_Ax_to_Grind | 09/08/06
How are they going to find out  ebrke | 09/08/06
What law school did you go to?  No_Ax_to_Grind | 09/08/06
How many times . . .  brian ansorge | 09/08/06
And if I target you in a witch hunt?  G Fedorchuk | 09/14/06
sue the bums  morndue | 09/07/06
any more?  rgathercoal@... | 09/07/06
Did HP give up SSN's?  UMtdi | 09/07/06
Huh??? Did you read anything?  No_Ax_to_Grind | 09/07/06
He's talking about the directors  j.m.galvin | 09/07/06
As you said...  No_Ax_to_Grind | 09/07/06
In any case, if HP supplied SSN numbers, they are in deep sheeet.  DonnieBoy | 09/07/06
Judge's don't have views...  No_Ax_to_Grind | 09/08/06
SSN's are not hard to get  rgathercoal@... | 09/07/06
Numerous businesses advertise  PCcritic | 09/08/06
Check out this Washington Post article extract  PCcritic | 09/08/06
common practice, they just got caught  schwana | 09/07/06
common practice, they just got caught  DREWME2 | 09/07/06
Imagine if Dunn was male and related to Bush  jdubow@... | 09/07/06
The problems the news leaks could have caused are nothing compared  DonnieBoy | 09/07/06
The problems the news leaks could have caused are nothing compared  rrl1@... | 09/07/06
Put a months wages on it?  No_Ax_to_Grind | 09/07/06
Why don't you explain why flaunting the law and getting cought is not bad  DonnieBoy | 09/07/06
Becasue NO ONE knows if they  No_Ax_to_Grind | 09/08/06
Of course she's gone  WorldDominator | 09/07/06
More lows in journalism  archetuthus | 09/07/06
More lows in journalism  rrl1@... | 09/07/06
She is just a great reporter doing her job. There were obviously big  DonnieBoy | 09/07/06
Something Worthy of Hiding AMD vs INTEL  mighetto | 09/07/06
Yup, and the PI was  No_Ax_to_Grind | 09/07/06
The PI broke the law, the journalist did not.  DonnieBoy | 09/07/06
Not that simple  No_Ax_to_Grind | 09/08/06
What?  the_seb | 09/08/06
WOW - HATS off to Zdnet for this reporting  mighetto | 09/07/06
You better pass that hat around for them...  No_Ax_to_Grind | 09/07/06
There was NEVER any question as to the legality of what was published.  DonnieBoy | 09/07/06
No, simply not true.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 09/08/06
so all hack no mind  Hrothgar - PCLinuxOS User | 09/07/06
Will HP lose business over this? Yes.  waltmaine | 09/07/06
who is left?  rgathercoal@... | 09/07/06
HP violated its own Standards of Business Conduct  offthescale@... | 09/07/06
Was this company HP hired licensed and legal?  Mr. Roboto | 09/07/06
In any case, HP accepted AND used the stolen information. Information they  DonnieBoy | 09/07/06
Don't call it "pretexting"  NobodyHome | 09/08/06
Sometimes illegal?  the_seb | 09/08/06
oops  the_seb | 09/08/06
Imagine if you will a USB Flash Drive stealing passwords  Intellihence | 09/08/06
That's great but  the_seb | 09/08/06
Time for the DOJ to get involved  yirmin | 09/08/06
I would have expected this from Microsoft..  paulpizmo@... | 09/08/06
Intersting, no one says anything about the scum  No_Ax_to_Grind | 09/08/06
Money buys everything and everyone  Linux User 1 | 09/08/06
I wonder if CNet reporters will be banned  No_Ax_to_Grind | 09/08/06
The board is in trouble and the Chairperson  jaszman | 09/08/06
HP & Reporters  Bobby Joe Reed | 09/09/06
Keyworth Leaks Board Secrets...and What Else?  SeattleEngr | 09/11/06

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