Social Security Cards to become digital

For many Americans, a Social security number is the first form of identification they receive, sent by post as paper card a few weeks after birth.

Now, the Social Security Administration seeks to give this form of identity an update by allowing Secure digital access Social security numbers that will provide an alternative to the traditional social security card. Experts are cautiously optimistic about the idea, but have security problems.

The new digital functionality will allow people who have forgotten their social security number or who have lost their social security cards to access their personal number online via the agency My social security website. They will also be able to access their social security numbers via digital devices and display them as identification for “reasons other than social security issues”, according to the agency.

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With the new effort, the Social Security Administration aims to reduce the disadvantages caused by lost or stolen cards, which currently requires individuals Apply for replacements either online or in person.

“We believe that this modern approach will meet the needs of our voters in a more effective way”, the acting commissioner of the social security administration Lee Dudek said in a press release.

The agency refused to provide more details on the deployment, which should be available in early summer.

Experts are cautiously optimistic about change.

“Generally, everything that is a new avenue to access your account or in an interaction with Social Security is a good thing, as long as it is easy and safe,” said Richard Fiesta, executive director of the Alliance for Détired Americans.

However, the risk is that some people, especially those who are older or disabled, can be left without access if they are not as warned in technology and have trouble using the Internet or mobile phones, he said.

My social security is “not the most user -friendly website,” said Fiesta, despite efforts to improve it over the years.

The evolution towards the identification of digital social security is “certainly a step in the right direction,” said Eva Velasquez, CEO of the Identity Flight Resource Center.

If it is properly implemented, digital social security numbers can provide more security than paper cards, she said.

“But that really does not solve the problem of identity abuse,” said Velasquez.

According to Velasquez, the social security number of each adult has probably been raped. The size of the 2024 National violation of public data I encouraged some experts to speculate on each American could have been affected. THE BROISSANCE Equifax 2017 was estimated to have affected about half of the American population.

The new process will raise questions about how to protect both social security numbers and the devices on which they are accessible, she said.

In the end, the United States in the future will likely evolve towards a federated identity system, where the identity of a user can be verified with biometric data such as fingerprints and facial recognition linked to several systems, said Cliff Steinhauer, director of information security and engagement at the National Cybersecurity Alliance.

“There will be a future where there is a clean internet, where all those who use it have authenticated with this federated and proven identity so that no one can pretend to be anyone else,” said Steinhauer.

The decision of the Social Security Administration is a first step towards digital identification, although it does not seem to include biometric authentication, he said.

Because there will be a risk of fraud, it will be important for the Social Security Administration to ensure that its systems are properly protected, said Steinhauer. There should also be phishing resistant authentication installed to guarantee that only individuals authorized to access accounts, he said.

It will be important for individuals to verify that all the messages that will come from the Social Security Administration bring them, in fact, to a verified social security website.

All the messages that the agency sends, as a reminder to connect and check an account, could be copied for phishing, said Steinhauer.