"Peter Duniho" wrote in message
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[...]
They can put whatever they want into the California Vehicle Code. If
federal law prohibits their use of the SS number, it is prohibited, and
the California law is in violation of federal law.

However, the premise that "federal law prohibits their use of the SS number"
is false (as I've now learned).

Here's the SSA FAQ on the question:

http://makeashorterlink.com/?J3BB42B6C

(long version:
http://ssa-custhelp.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/...php?p_faqid=78)

Some quotes:

The Privacy Act regulates the use of SSNs by government agencies.
When a Federal, State, or local government agency asks an individual
to disclose his or her Social Security number, the Privacy Act
requires the agency to inform the person of the following: the
statutory or other authority for requesting the information;
whether disclosure is mandatory or voluntary; what uses will be
made of the information; and the consequences, if any, of failure
to provide the information.

And,

If a business or other enterprise asks you for your SSN, you can
refuse to give it. However, that may mean doing without the purchase
or service for which your number was requested.

IMHO the latter quote is a bit of a "duh". Other than the usual contractual
obligations, I'm not aware of any law that gives a private business the
authority to compel me to do something. Apparently, federal law does *not*
prohibit businesses from asking for and using a social security number as a
requirement for doing business with them.

Basically, the way I read this, pretty much anyone can ask for and use your
social security number, and governments can impose a legal obligation
requiring you to divulge it.

"Privacy Act". Right.

Pete