Comment on Social Insecurity: Billions of Social Security Number and Passwords

• solrize@lemmy.ml ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  www.ssa.gov/history/hfaq.html :

  Q20: Are Social Security numbers reused after a person dies?

  A: No. We do not reassign a Social Security number (SSN) after the number holder’s death. Even though we have issued over 453 million SSNs so far, and we assign about 5 and one-half million new numbers a year, the current numbering system will provide us with enough new numbers for several generations into the future with no changes in the numbering system.

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  • treadful@lemmy.zip ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    Weird, I was quite confident in that memory. Thanks for the link.

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    • Test_Tickles@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      I am confused. I distinctly remember news stories about us running out of ss#s. I remember stories of people getting the same number. Wtf?

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      • JohnEdwa@sopuli.xyz ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

        They used to be geocoded, and Florida did run out of their original set of numbers at one point.

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      • asmoranomar@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

        There were rules for how numbers were issued. You could tell where and when someone was born based on their number. Im unsure if it was changed, but I can see how high population areas could run out of their quota and need a new block

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