[lesuorac]

Yeah it was so much better keeping a book of letters from creditors that you showed to any future creditor to show trustworthy-ness.

Whatever mess you think SSNs have caused by their unintended use outweighs the previous system. The simple test for that is, why do people use SSNs as it's not legally required for anything but USG interactions.

[MereInterest]

> The simple test for that is, why do people use SSNs as it's not legally required for anything but USG interactions.

Because if I want to open a bank account, rent an apartment, or get a mortgage, the other party requires me to give them my SSN, on the assumption that it is a valid unique key for tracking debt payment reliability.

It doesn’t matter that the SSN is only legally required for interactions with the US government. When housing is a human necessity, and all sources of housing require a SSN, then using a SSN is not a choice from which one can infer preferences.

[lesuorac]

Companies ask for the SSN because its so much more efficient than their previous systems.

They already did debt repayment without SSNs; it's just easier with one. The existence of fraud with a SSN doesn't mean there wasn't fraud without one; and if there was more fraud now then companies would abandon asking for SSNs.

You might not like SSNs but their existence has been a benefit not a detriment to the USA.

[plagiarist]

All that test confirms is that when every company requires them to do business, one can no longer accomplish anything financial without submitting an SSN to a third party. I guess one could choose to only ever be self-employed, take no loans, and use Mattress Bank.

[grepfru_it]

The purpose of an LLC/Corporation (the Company) is to provide a corporate veil from the managing directors. In such situation, an SSN is not required, but most businesses will then require the Company's Tax Identification Number (TIN) which effectively provides the same identification value as an SSN. Going down that route, the Company itself can take loans and transact with both domestic and international banks.

[briandear]

Because companies require them.