SPECIAL TOPICS - Social Security Numbers


SPECIAL TOPICS - Social Security Numbers
	Social Security Number Policy
	Penn continues to phase out the use of Social Security numbers, using SSNs as a unique identifier only when necessary to fulfill legal requirements or when there is a sufficient need, such as when certain external organizations legitimately require them.
	The University's Social Security Number Policy establishes expectations around the use of SSNs. It calls on staff, faculty, contractors and agents of the above to inventory their online and offline SSNs and reduce privacy and security risks by, in priority order, (1) eliminating this data altogether, (2) converting it to Penn ID, (3) truncating the data to capture and display only the last four digits, (4) when the complete SSN is clearly necessary, ensuring strict controls to protect the full data. The policy sets out specific steps and resources for handling of SSN data. The full text of the policy can be viewed at http://www.upenn.edu/almanac/volumes/v54/n16/sspolicy.html.