[dekhn]

I just checked, and using my True Name (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/True_Names) I can easily find my DOB, prior addresses and phone numbers, and using that information, it's likely I could make a reasonable guess for the SSN.

[BobaFloutist]

it's likely I could make a reasonable guess for the SSN.

It is? I mean then why are we bothering to protect anything, this shit is all super available for any given person.

[dekhn]

SSNs are fairly predictable- if you know region of birth and DOB you can get awfully close, for a wide range of the population.

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.0904891106

Konerding's 12th law, amended: "There is no bit of pseudonymized data which cannot be de-anonymized by a sufficiently motivated MIT grad student" (not entirely joking; see https://archive.nytimes.com/bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/01/2...)