• FreeAdvice has a new Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, effective May 25, 2018.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our Terms of Service and use of cookies.

ssn disclosure

Accident - Bankruptcy - Criminal Law / DUI - Business - Consumer - Employment - Family - Immigration - Real Estate - Tax - Traffic - Wills   Please click a topic or scroll down for more.

bellonapoli

Junior Member
:confused: State of TN
I was pulled over for speeding and was told i needed to disclose my ssn. when i mentioned it is on file with dmv the cop told me twice i needed to disclose it or he would have it called in over the radio and everyone listening to the radio frequency will have access to my personal information. what is the law. was i required to provide it to him?
 


occharge

Member
:confused: State of TN
I was pulled over for speeding and was told i needed to disclose my ssn. when i mentioned it is on file with dmv the cop told me twice i needed to disclose it or he would have it called in over the radio and everyone listening to the radio frequency will have access to my personal information. what is the law. was i required to provide it to him?
If he had it, why did he require you to disclose it? Did you not have you DL/ID with you?

Also, my understanding is and unless he's using an ancient radio, his transmissions can only be heard by the dispatcher.
 

The Occultist

Senior Member
Some officer's like to request a ssn in order to positively identify the person they have pulled over as sometimes a mere license is not enough to satisfy whomever might be looking at the very old and outdated photo of you.
 

OP85063

Member
Do you have a cite?
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).



Rest is here: Privacy Act Overview, May 2004 Edition: Social Security Number Usage
 

The Occultist

Senior Member
From the page you linked to:

"Any Federal, State or local government agency which requests an individual to disclose his social security account number shall inform that individual whether that disclosure is mandatory or voluntary, by what statutory or other authority such number is solicited, and what uses will be made of it."
That seems to imply that there are other statutes out there that create loopholes in this, n'est-ce pas? You've still provided nothing to show the officer was acting outside of the law.

Also, just so I know, what right, benefit, or privilege was denied to the OP?
 

occharge

Member
Yeah, with all due respect OP85063, even I, a layman think that your citation falls short of fulfilling the claim you stated earlier.
 

Tallrat

Member
I'm not sure how they do it in TN but isn't ssn on the license? He probably wanted you to repeat it to make sure it wasn't some one elses card.
 

Tallrat

Member
Just read, You may choose whether or not to have it printed on your license. Yes an officer can ask for that info for proper id.
 

OP85063

Member
Ok, Let me try it this way.

There are no laws that I’m aware of that require you to provide a police officer with your Social Security Number. Every state requires you to produce your driver’s license while operating a motor vehicle. But when it comes to your SSN, there is no law requiring you to either carry your SSN with you or to memorize it.

Indeed, there are good reasons for not keeping your SSN in your wallet. For example, if your wallet is lost or stolen, your SSN can potentially be used by an identity thief to access your credit card account information.

So, if i play dumb and not memorized my SSN, will I be arrested for not know my SSN? I will get a higher chance of getting that speeding ticket and/or arrested for speeding, but not my SSN. So if he ask and you tell him, you don't want to disclose that information, there's nothing he can do about that part, but continue with writing your ticket for speeding.

But still.... as stated above is not defense for your speeding, and it will have no bearing on your case.
******************************************...
Are you kidding me, they actually let you, or put your SSN on your drivers LIC? If you lose your lic, your screwed, people got your name, address DOB, SSN, think of how many credit card bills you'll get at the end of the month, not to mention the hard time with credit agency to clean it up.


:confused: State of TN
I was pulled over for speeding and was told i needed to disclose my ssn. when i mentioned it is on file with dmv the cop told me twice i needed to disclose it or he would have it called in over the radio and everyone listening to the radio frequency will have access to my personal information. what is the law. was i required to provide it to him?
I would treat that as a threat to my personal identity, on the spot you should of ask to have a supervisor out, but that's out the window now.
see above, as state I didn't find any law require you to show him, or any law requited that you must show him.
 
Last edited:

DRTDEVL

Member
I'm not sure how they do it in TN but isn't ssn on the license? He probably wanted you to repeat it to make sure it wasn't some one elses card.
No. My TN D/L has an 8-digit number. FL used a longer number.

I know that VA used your SSN as a D/L number back in the 90's, not sure about that now.
 

Find the Right Lawyer for Your Legal Issue!

Fast, Free, and Confidential
data-ad-format="auto">
Top