Social Security Number Disclosure & Usage
Section 7 of the Privacy Act (found at 5 U.S.C. § 552a note, Disclosure of Social Security Number) provides that:

“It shall be unlawful for any Federal, State, or local government agency to deny to any individual any right, benefit, or privilege provided by law because of such individual’s refusal to disclose his social security account number.” Sec. 7(a)(1). Ref: [https://www.justice.gov/archives/opcl/social-security-number-usage]

if a financial or institution denies your application for an account based on the misconception that providing an SSN is a legal requirement, they may be attempting to coerce you into offering information that the law does not actually require.

Who’s Bound by the Law 
Many laws restrict or require something of citizens, but the overwhelming majority of laws and regulations are written for the various government agencies. Citizens never need permission from the law to do a thing. Government agencies, however, must have explicit permission for each action they undertake. A state or federal agency cannot do anything that is not explicitly authorized by law; to do so is illegal. A government agency violates the law when it does something that the people have not given it permission to do. In America, people have rights; the government has permission.

With increasing demands being placed on individuals to furnish a Social Security Number in circumstances where its use is not required by federal law or regulation, Congress passed the Privacy Act of 1974 (Pub. Law 93-579, 88 Stat. 1896; as amended). Section 7 of Pub. Law 93-579 provides:

The relevance of this Act is simply that it highlights the importance of privacy interests associated with Social Security information. Cf. *Wolman v. United States*, 501 F. Supp. 310 (D.C.D.C. 1980), remanded 675 F.2d 1341 (D.C. Cir. 1982), vacated on other grounds, 542 F. Supp. 84 (D.C.D.C. 1982) (Section 7 of the Privacy Act was intended, the District Court found, to block indiscriminate governmental use of Social Security information as the “universal identifier.”) See *United States v. Two Hundred Thousand Dollars in U.S. Currency*, 590 F. Supp. 866 (S.D. Fla. 1984).

The Privacy Act makes it unlawful for any person to require an individual to disclose or furnish a Social Security Number for any purpose unless the disclosure or furnishing of the number is specifically required under federal law.

• There are only four instances where a social security number may be demanded:
  1. For tax matters (make sure to get non-interest bearing checking account)
  2. To receive public assistance
  3. To obtain and use a driver’s license
  4. To register a motor vehicle