Verify your identity? Facebook and YouTube requesting personal info.

[Bluce Ree]

The biggest problem in the US is this obsession with SSN, as if it somehow has the magical ability to undeniably identify someone remotely and without a photo.

They can easily legislate law requiring you to be alerted whenever credit is about to be issued in your name. This is not difficult to implement on a national scale at all. If Equifax et al can instantly know wtf you're doing at every moment in your life then they can spend the bucks to make sure you KNOW every time your file is accessed and become intermediaries in confirming your knowledge of credit being acquired.

 

[Rac80]

not just no....but HELL NO!

 

[Quetesh]

I had Lifelock for a few years right after that happened. They would block half my legimate uses and so too much of a pain in da butt to keep in long end for what it cost.

I hate to say it, but lie. Never use real birth date, address or phone number on the internet. NOBODY gets my SSN except government agencies and banks from me. I would leave blank on any employment application (unless a government/security job)too. There is no legal reason for any employer to ask for it prior to them having hired you. Giving somebody at Joe's Bake Shop, Walmart or whatnot your SSN is just giving them access to do a background check on you without your permission. After they hire you and ask for a check you can supply one if you wish. I would never list it on my resume/CV either.

You can make your email from Hushmail and use Google search to use business address and phone numbers in a city a few states away. Look, they are not playing fair so why should you? If FB wants to push data from me, then it is going to get very carefully crafted false info. I removed everything off my timeline too. No pictures at all, and none of my friends will "tag" me in any either since I told them not to. No mention of any pet, kid, or relative names again either. Don't stick to one handle in all your sites either.

I am blown away by how much so many people post on FB. Watch out for Dropbox too, it will sync with your computer and put all your pictures on the their cloud if you let it.