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FTC Calls for Plans to Reduce Social Security Number Usage

By Brian Orsak

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is seeking public comments on how companies can limit their use of Social Security numbers to combat identity theft. The agency's request, made Monday, follows an April 23 report from an interagency ID theft task force that recommended establishing national data protection standards for the private sector as well as reducing the use of the numbers among government agencies. The federal government is likely to restrict the use of Social Security numbers, or "at the very least" require new security measures when the identifiers are shared among companies and government agencies, said Christopher Wolf, the...

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