Can a Business for Any Reason Give Out My Ssn Number
My question involves criminal law for the state of: Washington
A washington state agency has submitted my identity credientials, including ssn, and other things, to businesses in Washington and other states.
Can they legally do this?
i understand perhaps law enforcement or other agencies could likely request or attain this information but they'd likely have it anyway. However, in my case, I have noticed a washington state agency has been sending out letters with my FULL social security number, and it is addressed to other people and not myself.
If this is not legal, what kind of action could I potentially take?
Re: Can a Business for Any Reason Give Out My Ssn Number
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borris1212
My question involves criminal law for the state of: Washington
A washington state agency has submitted my identity credientials, including ssn, and other things, to businesses in Washington and other states.
Can they legally do this?
The short answer is that more information is needed to make any firm conclusion as to whether the agency is violating any federal or state. Which agency it is, what program of the agency is involved, and the details of why and to whom the agency is disclosing your SSN information matters. I'll give you very brief run down of the general legal landscape as it applies to government requirements for you to provide your SSN and disclosures of your SSN to others.
No federal law specifically prohibits a state or local government agency, or a private business, from providing your SSN to others. The federal Privacy Act of 1974 does regulate the circumstances in which a federal agency may disclose the private information it holds about you to others.
That Act also prohibits a federal, state, or local government agency from requiring you to disclose your SSN unless some federal law allows the agency to require it. State and local governments may also require the SSN if state and local law in existence in 1975 required it. Moreover, government agencies must tell you when asking for your SSN whether your disclosure to the agency of your SSN is mandatory or voluntary, and if it mandatory, it must cite the law that requires you to provide it. In addition, the government agency must tell you what it will do with your SSN. So if your SSN might be disclosed to others, the agency needs to put that in the notice it provides to you.
Note that other federal laws indirectly impact when government agencies and private persons may disclose your SSN information to third parties. For example, a health care provider subject to the privacy rules of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is restricted from disclosing protected health information (PHI) to others without your consent except in specific circumstances listed in the Act and the Health and Human Services (HHS) regulations. Your SSN would be included in your PHI and thus the restrictions on disclosure of PHI would apply to your SSN information, too.
Thus under federal law it matters what agency this is and why it is disclosing your SSN to others.
Washington state law also places limits on when state agencies may require your SSN and when they may disclose it. But again, the details of the agency and the particular program involved matter, as does the details of the particular disclosures being made.
Re: Can a Business for Any Reason Give Out My Ssn Number
It is with DCS, or Division of Child Support. Thanks to covid, their staffing, phones, email was unavailable so I went into arrears as they call it and a nastygram was sent to a fictitious employer I listed on my Facebook. I did pay it off recently, but I don't even work for this place. They got a hold of me, because DCS sent them all my sensitive information, including ssn, dob, addresses, all that stuff. Seems illegal to me, since I never even worked for this place. Can DCS really do this and is it legal? I imagine it might be, but I'm curious if I have any legal recourse here. They are just randomly sending out my information to any employer(s) they think I may work for without verification!
Re: Can a Business for Any Reason Give Out My Ssn Number
Sounds like they only sent it to one employer - an employer that you yourself declared to the entire world via Facebook that you worked for. So this is actually your fault, because if you hadn't very publicly lied about who your employer was, this wouldn't have happened.
Re: Can a Business for Any Reason Give Out My Ssn Number
Yes, DCS can release your SSN. How else would they make sure they are garnishing the correct employee?
Re: Can a Business for Any Reason Give Out My Ssn Number
Oh, I didn't realize I had to tell the truth on these internets.
Have you ever considered a russian bride?
Might help with your poor attitude.
Re: Can a Business for Any Reason Give Out My Ssn Number
Didn't say you had to tell the truth. But if you lie, you are responsible for the consequences of your lies.
Re: Can a Business for Any Reason Give Out My Ssn Number
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borris1212
Oh, I didn't realize I had to tell the truth on these internets.
Have you ever considered a russian bride?
Might help with your poor attitude.
Also, since you were not required to list an employer on facebook at all, it was a totally unnecessary lie.
Re: Can a Business for Any Reason Give Out My Ssn Number
Still doesn't answer my question. Why don't you consider a mail order bride?
BTW Is there an ordinance, state, or federal law that says you must tell the truth on the internet?
How does someone like DCS determine a facebook profile is legitimate? What if it wasnt?
Your argument is about as stupid as <insert your favorite stupid noun here>
Re: Can a Business for Any Reason Give Out My Ssn Number
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borris1212
Still doesn't answer my question. Why don't you consider a mail order bride?
BTW Is there an ordinance, state, or federal law that says you must tell the truth on the internet?
How does someone like DCS determine a facebook profile is legitimate? What if it wasnt?
Your argument is about as stupid as <insert your favorite stupid noun here>
1. I am a straight female who is happily married (30+ years so far!) to a wonderful man. So, considering a mail order bride is not something I'd waste any time doing.
2. There are no laws that require people to tell the truth on the internet - I never said there were such laws. However, people are always responsible for the consequences of what they say, whether it be truth, lies, on the internet, in person and/or in writing.
3. DCS doesn't legally have to determine whether or not FB profiles are legit. You post that you work for Employer X, and as far as they're concerned, you work for Employer X, until you tell them otherwise. (Of course if someone else posted that you work for Employer X, DCS would have an obligation to investigate this claim. But that's not what happened.) All perfectly legal.
4. What argument? I'm not arguing with you, all I'm doing is telling you the facts. (Just like the other responders here.)