Washington, D.C. - May 11, 2000 - Congressman Jerry Kleczka, dubbed one of the "House's four horsemen of privacy" by William Safire in a New York Times opinion piece today, testified before the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security about the misuse of Social Security numbers.

"Gaining access to Social Security numbers is the key to credit fraud," Kleczka said.  "There is no one to protect us from identity theft, and those who have been victimized by this gross violation of privacy have to clear their names themselves, a process which can take years.  Congress must act to curb this increasingly common form of fraud."

Kleczka has been a Congressional leader in privacy protection, and introduced H.R. 1450, the Personal Information Privacy Act of 1999, in April of last year.  The legislation, amongst other things, gives control of personal information such as one's Social Security number, back to individuals.  It requires an owner's written consent before a Social Security number is used commercially, and also mandates written consent before the sale or transfer of a consumer's transaction information for marketing purposes.

Kleczka also expressed concerns about the habitual use of Social Security numbers in commercial transactions.

"The doctor's office asks for a Social Security number.  A number of businesses ask for it before they'll take your check.  Some cable companies refuse service to new customers who don't provide their Social Security numbers," Kleczka said.  "This is ridiculous - there is no reason that these organizations need access to that kind of personal information other than it's become a habit to ask for it.  But it's not just ridiculous - it's dangerous.  The more we give out our Social Security numbers, the more likely our chances are of becoming victims of credit fraud and identity theft."

Kleczka went on to relay a story about the use of Social Security numbers in Congress.  Each representative uses a card to vote, and under their names on those cards are their Social Security numbers.  When Kleczka inquired about the rationale for displaying those numbers, no one could provide him with a sound reason.

"It was just habit," Kleczka said.  "And that has to stop.  Social Security numbers should not become our universal identifiers."