Policy and Legislation

• CU letters support federal bill to remove from newly issued Medicare cards (July 14, 2008)
• CU's guide to security freeze protection (June 13, 2008)
• CU supports federal bill to remove the SSN from newly issued Medicare cards (May 30, 2008)
• SSN State Laws Issue Paper (November 28, 2007)
• State laws restricting private use of Social Security numbers (November 28, 2007)
• Summary of Federal Social Security Number Privacy Legislation (September 6, 2007)
• Summary of Social Security Number Privacy Legislation (September 6, 2007)
• CU urges federal policymakers to restrict the use of Social Security numbers (September 5, 2007)
• Model State Bill to Reduce Solicitation, Mailing and Other Uses of SSNs (August 17, 2007)
• Consumer groups urge Fed to make electronic disclosure work for consumers (July 5, 2007)
• Consumer and Privacy Groups’ Letter to House Financial Services Committee Opposing H.R. 3997 (March 13, 2006)
• Click here for the letter. ]]>">CU calls on Congress to enact strong identity theft safeguards (May 9, 2005)
• Measures to prevent ID theft outlined for Senate hearing (April 13, 2005)
• Washington Post article]]>">Article Highlights Need for ID Theft Protections (April 5, 2005)
• CU supports bill to provide national notice of data security breaches (March 29, 2005)
• Consumers face risk from the use of Social Security numbers on Medicare cards (October 19, 2004)
• Response letter from CMS regarding social security numbers on Medicare cards (October 18, 2004)
• Read the testimony of the General Accounting Office: Social Security Numbers: Use is Widespread and Protections Vary (June 15, 2004)
• California Identity Theft and Privacy Laws (October 22, 2003)

Consumers Union News Releases

• Alaska governor signs strong new ID theft law (June 13, 2008)
• CU says Social Security numbers need protection (December 11, 2007)
• FTC: 8.3 million identity theft victims in U.S. (November 27, 2007)
• TransUnion offering security freeze nationwide (September 19, 2007)
• Consumer Reports finds personal privacy concerns in planned uses of RFIDs (May 4, 2006)
• NJ Governor signs ID theft protections into law (September 22, 2005)
• Read CU's testimony.]]>">10 million Americans at risk of ID theft from data security breaches (June 24, 2005)
• Court orders more proceedings on California financial privacy law (June 20, 2005)
• Senate Committee to Consider ID Theft Issues at April 13 Hearing (April 11, 2005)
• ChoicePoint ID theft scandal prompts bill to rein in information brokers (March 3, 2005)
• Bank of America computer tape loss puts 1.2 million at risk of ID theft (February 25, 2005)
• Medicare cards pose identity theft risk for seniors (October 20, 2004)

Research and Reports

• Your Credit Matters (January 9, 2008)
• Model State Bill to Reduce Solicitation, Mailing and Other Uses of SSNs (December 4, 2007)
• Consumer Reports poll on public attitudes about the use of SSNs (December 4, 2007)
• Consumer Reports poll on public attitudes about the use of SSNs (September 13, 2007)
• CR Poll: Americans want identity theft protections (September 6, 2007)
• CU urges federal policymakers to restrict the use of Social Security numbers (September 5, 2007)
• CU urges federal policymakers to restrict the use of Social Security numbers (September 5, 2007)
• Summary of Federal Social Security Number Privacy Legislation (September 5, 2007)
• Congress considers new ID theft protection (July 18, 2007)
• Bills in the 110th Congress on notice of security breach and other data security issues (June 4, 2007)
• Another week, another identity theft scandal (May 25, 2007)
• FAQ - Freeze Identity Thieves Out of Consumers' Credit Files (May 11, 2007)
• President's ID Theft Task Force's Plan Falls Short (April 23, 2007)
• Real People, Real Stories (October 20, 2006)
• Consumer Reports investigation warns your privacy is for sale (August 31, 2006)
• Veterans in some states can freeze access to credit files to stop identity thieves (May 23, 2006)
• Millions of veterans at risk for identity theft following data breach (May 22, 2006)
• Take action. ]]>">Lexis-Nexis security breach puts more consumers at risk of ID theft (March 9, 2005)

Consumer Tips

• State Security Freeze Laws (December 4, 2006)

• CU's guide to security freeze protection (June 13, 2008)
• Protect your Social Security Number (August 10, 2007)
• 39 states lets consumers freeze credit files (July 16, 2007)
• FAQs on SSNs and ID Theft (October 31, 2006)

Blog Posts

• Do you know where your SSN is? (December 12, 2007)
• Consumer Reports Poll Finds 89% of Americans Want Lawmakers to Restrict the Use of SSNs (September 6, 2007)
• Guarding those precious digits... (June 8, 2007)
• Those Sensitive Numbers (February 8, 2007)
• WSJ Article: Squaring Off! (January 29, 2007)