On 4/4/06, Diane C. Russell <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > If the SSN is listed in one of the onliine Social Security death indexes, > whether it be a derivative of the Social Security Death Master File, or a > state death index, it is a pretty good bet that any use of that number to > identify a living person is fraudulent. But how is someone supposed to know that the SSN is being fraudulently used? There does not exist any system that an employer or government agency can go to tell them that a SSN is fraudulent or not. > > > I don't see how redacting or restricting the use of SSN is destroying > > our culture and our society. > > > The SSNs for deceased persons are necessary for submitting FOIA requests to > Social Security and can be especially valuable in connecting deceased > individuals with their parents, as well as providing clues to their previous > residence or work locations. But wouldn't you already have that number somewhere? how does a SSN connect someone to their parents? how does it provide a clue to previous employment. The SSN pby itself doesn't do that but rather it is the work record that shows previous work record. The SSN is the link to that information. >This becomes more important as more and more > states close access to vital records. the access is being closed to all who are not directly related. People are more aware now of the PII that is out on the net via government records. In the past one had to physically visit the county records office and troll through the myriad volumes to find the information. >Closing off this kind of access to > records used for identifying deceased individuals makes it harder to study > history, biography, and genealogy, and certainly does nothing to enhance our > understanding of our culture and its history. I'm still not fully convinced that redacting SSNs from the public record is going to do what you suggest. Genealogy and historical research has always been hard. Personal data is found in all sorts of places and criminals are searching for that information. -- Peter Kurilecz CRM CA Richmond, Va A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List sponsored by the Society of American Archivists, www.archivists.org. For the terms of participation, please refer to http://www.archivists.org/listservs/arch_listserv_terms.asp. To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to [log in to unmask] In body of message: SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname *or*: UNSUB ARCHIVES To post a message, send e-mail to [log in to unmask] Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html Problems? Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <[log in to unmask]>