re: #184 A Cranky One

I suspect we are there already. Many years ago I did some research and was startled to realize how much information about people was available. This was 30 years ago. One result of that research was an ongoing battle with various institutions (such as my kids colleges) to prevent SS numbers from being used as a ID number/key. Back then everyone asked for your SS and people readily supplied it. In fact, it was common to have it printed on checks. With current algorithms, they manage to compile the information without such a simple key.

Creeps me out when I look at a product online and then get presented for ads for those products even when using different computers at different places. Privacy has been an illusion for a while, most folks just don’t realize it. Worse, they advertise their lives to the world.

For a few decades, the Army used SSAN as their serial number. They’ve stopped. As you said some colleges also used them as student ID. The SSAN is explicitly not to be used as ID for other purposes.