ÿþ<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC '-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN'> <html><head><title>531096-00106.htm</title> <meta name='vs_defaultClientScript' content='JavaScript'> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <meta name='vs_targetSchema' content='http://schemas.microsoft.com/intellisense/ie3-2nav3-0'> <meta name='Originator' content='CommentWorks'></head><body><Table> <tr><td><b>Comment Number: </b></td><td>531096-00106</td></tr> <tr><td><b>Received: </b></td><td>8/10/2007 3:28:21 AM</td></tr> <tr><td><b>Organization: </b></td><td></td></tr> <tr><td><b>Commenter: </b></td><td>Anderson</td></tr> <tr><td><b>State: </b></td><td>OH</td></tr> <tr><td><b>Agency: </b></td><td>Federal Trade Commission</td></tr> <tr><td><b>Rule: </b></td><td>Private Sector Use of SSNs</td></tr> <tr><td>No Attachments</td></tr></Table> <hr><P><b>Comments:</b></p>There is *no* necessity for the private sector to use SSNs for anything. Adequate technology exists today to permit secure authentication and identification via electronic and non-electronic means other than the sharing of &quot;secret numbers&quot;, such as the SSN, which can be intercepted and subsequently used fraudulently, due to the nature of their disclosure &quot;in the clear&quot; to third parties. Businesses do not deploy secure authentication and identification mechanisms (systems that do not use SSNs) because they have no financial incentive to do so. Businesses do not bear the significant burdens associated with &quot;theft&quot; of SSNs, and, as such, they have no interest in deploying secure systems.</body></html>