The Social Security card faces its first major upgrade in 70 years under two immigration-reform proposals slated for debate this week that would add biometric information to the card and finally complete its slow metamorphosis into a national ID.
The leading immigration proposal with traction in Congress would force employers to accept only a very limited range of approved documents as proof of work eligibility, including a driver's license that meets new federal Real ID standards, a high-tech temporary work visa or a U.S. passport with an RFID chip. A fourth option is the notional tamper-proof biometric Social Security card, which would replace the text-only design that's been issued to Americans almost without change for more than 70 years.
A second proposal under consideration would add high-tech features to the Social Security card allowing employers to scan it with specially equipped laptop computers. Under that proposal, called the "Bonner Plan," the revamped Social Security card would be the only legal form of identification for employment purposes.
May 16, 2007
Biometric Social Security Cards Proposed As Part Of Immigration Bill
From Wired News:
Without a truly vast infusion of resources, the Social Security Administration is simply incapable of implementing any biometric Social Security card, whatever "biometric" means. Even with a vast infusion of resources, it might take several years before Social Security would be ready to implement this.
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6 comments:
How many times must SSA repeat that your SSN should not be used as an ID. There is no US law that prohibits any company from requesting your ssn, the discretion is up to you to provide it for services. If anyone has access to it whats the point of using it as an identifier. Can you imagine the millions of SS-5's that would have to be processed for all those replacement cards. This is not feasbile nor cost effective. I laugh at this idea.
I could see a benefit in this. Currently, employers (the ones that aren't hiring people under the table and actually use the system, anyway) can verify the SSN with SSA to see if the name/dob/work authorization match. If we don't, we see them in the FO to correct their records. People come in with letters from their employers all the time after something on their Numident wasn't matching.
It's possible someone can possess a fake SSN card using someone else's stolen SSN and identifying info and get a job that way.
There is no way they could implement this without throwing millions of dollars at new equipment and more staff to process the SS-5s, as well as finally begin charging for replacement SSN cards.
Enumeration at birth would have to be changed, too. How do you get biometric info on a card for a new baby whose parents currently don't even have to visit a FO to get a card? Unless SSA simply assigned the SSN and suppressed the card.
I see the advantage, but I too laugh at the idea that SSA would be able to do it given current resources.
I am anonymous#2 adding more -
To clarify what they're talking about in option #4, "biometrics" refers to physical data recorded on a microchip in the card. How high tech it gets depends on money spent. They can store data, your photo, fingerprints, iris scans, etc.
So basically, the SSN card would have a chip in it that stored your photo or fingerprints and an employer could swipe your card through a reader to see if it was legit.
Yeah, no way. Both SSA and the employers would have to buy the equipment to support it.
Yeah they could set up stands along the border to hand out the cards as people come over the border. LOL Whole immigration reform, i.e. amnesty is BS anyway.
What's wrong with charging for the second or third SSN card that a person has lost.
All a child really needs is an SSN Verification Printout until they get a job.
An SSN card is not supposed to be ID, but an unresticted card is a work authorization document, so it should be more secure. I have heard comments from people from other countries of being surprised that the SSN card is just a piece of paper.
If we can find the money to blow in Iraq to make it secure, we should be able to come up with the funds to issue a more secure SSN card.
agreed - If SSA began charging for cards, people might not be so careless about losing them and they may not lose them as often, leading to less foot traffic in offices for replacement cards.
Those who tend to lose their cards tend to be those who do not need nor use them to obtain employment--they only need them when they go to get some other id for some kind of benefits.
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