On Thu, 05 Jan 2006 14:08:04 -0800, Sylvain wrote in
::

Skywise wrote:
that was my understanding too, but it seems that the
DMV can indeed require it,

I'd be interested in reading that.

found it! :-)


California Vehicle Code Section 1653.5:

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d02/vc1653_5.htm



More information he

http://www.cpsr.org/prevsite/cpsr/pr...n/ssn.faq.html

Why SSN Privacy matters

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Is it illegal for someone to ask for my SSN?
The short answer is that there are many restrictions on government
agencies asking for your number, but few on individuals or companies.
When someone from a government agency asks for your number, they are
required to provide a Privacy Act Disclosure Notice, which is required
to tell you what law allows them to ask, whether you have to provide
your number, and what will happen if you don't provide the number.

Private companies aren't required to follow this law, and in general
your recourse is to find another company to do business with if you
don't like their policies.


Why Should I Care Whether Anyone Knows my SSN?
There are two problem with the way SSNs are used these days. The first
is that they are used (by different parties) as if they were both a
representation of identity and a secure password. The second problem
is that they have become a widely used identifier which can be used to
tie multiple records together about a single individual.

Many institutions, including hospitals and some banks and brokerages
use client's SSNs as a secure representation of their identity. This
seems a good idea, since you aren't allowed to change your SSN, even
though you might change your address, your name, or your phone number.
Other institutions, notably banks, use SSNs as if they were secret
passwords that only the owner would know. If someone knows the name
and the SSN, and is willing to say they have forgotten the account
number, they will usually be allowed to transfer funds, or make other
changes to an account with serious repercussions.

The problem is that these uses are incompatible. As SSNs are widely
used representations of people's identities, appearing on driver's
licenses, mailing labels, and publicly-posted progress reports at
universities, their broad availability becomes more apparent.

There is further discussion of this issue in the section on
Significance of the SSN.


Didn't the government promise that SSNs wouldn't be used for ID?
For the first few decades that SSN cards were issued, they carried the
admonition: "Not to be used for Identification." Unfortunately there
was never any law passed instituting this as a policy. The Social
Security Agency was apparently attempting to instill good values in
the citizens, but was apparently unsuccessful in preventing government
encroachment into this territory. For more information on the
evolution of the laws concerning privacy and Social Security
additional details are available in the more complete version of the
FAQ.