[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 19127]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   INTRODUCTION OF THE ``SOCIAL SECURITY PRIVACY AND IDENTITY THEFT 
                        PREVENTION ACT OF 2007''

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. SAM JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 16, 2007

  Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, you know Americans are 
rightly worried about the security of their personal information, 
including their Social Security number. Practically a day doesn't go by 
when we don't read about or hear about another data breach in the 
private or public sector where hundreds if not thousands of people's 
personal identity information is stolen.
  According to the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, the total number of 
known records that have been compromised since January 2005 through 
last week was over 158 million.
  The fact is that even though Social Security numbers were created to 
track earnings for determining eligibility and benefit amounts under 
Social Security, these numbers are widely used as personal identifiers. 
According to the Government Accountability Office, Social Security 
numbers have become the ``identifier of choice'' and are used for every 
day business transactions. In fact, in their April 2007 report, the 
President's Identity Theft Task Force identified the Social Security 
number as the ``most valuable commodity for an identity thief.''
  These thieves are hard at work. According to the latest data provided 
by Federal Trade Commission, over a one year period nearly 10 million 
people, or about 5 percent of the adult population, discovered they 
were victims of identity theft. Even worse, the true number of victims 
of this devastating crime is unknown, since most victims do not report 
the crime.
  Losses due to ID thefts have been estimated to exceed $50 billion 
annually. Victims spend roughly 300 million hours a year trying to re-
establish their hard-earned credit and clearing their good name.
  Even worse, identity theft continues to threaten our national 
security. As said in the 9/11 Commission Report, ``Fraud in 
identification documents is no longer just a problem of theft. At many 
entry points to vulnerable facilities, including gates for boarding 
aircraft, sources of identification are the last opportunity to ensure 
that people are who they say they are and to check whether they are 
terrorists.''
  The Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security has been working 
on a bipartisan basis to protect the privacy of Social Security numbers 
and prevent identity theft since the 106th Congress when it first 
approved the Social Security Number Privacy and Identity Theft 
Prevention Act of 2000, to restrict the sale and public display of 
Social Security numbers. This legislation was introduced on a 
bipartisan basis by then Subcommittee Chairman Clay Shaw and then 
Ranking Member, the late Bob Matsui. Today, we continue that bipartisan 
effort to help stop the rampant use of Social Security numbers as I 
join the Chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social 
Security, Mike McNulty, to introduce the ``Social Security Number 
Privacy and Identity Theft Prevention Act of 2007.''
  This bill achieves three critical goals. First, it would limit access 
to SSNs in the public and private sector by restricting their sale, 
purchase, and public display, including display on the Internet.
  Second, the bill would protect individuals by prohibiting persons 
from obtaining SSNs to find a person with the intent to physically 
injure or harm them.
  Finally the bill would enforce these restrictions through civil and 
criminal penalties for violations.
  Providing for uses of Social Security numbers that benefit the public 
while protecting their privacy is a complex balancing act. This bill 
achieves that balance.
  It is long past time for Congress to act to help stop the widespread 
use of Social Security numbers, help prevent ID theft, and further 
protect American's privacy. I urge all my colleagues to sponsor this 
important bipartisan legislation.

                          ____________________