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Social Security Administration Reopens Web Site
September 4, 1997 -- After extensive public forums, consultation with privacy and security experts, and internal review the Social Security Administration has reopened the doors to its Personal Earnings and Benefit Estimate Statement (PEBES) Web site. CDT applauds the SSA for the privacy protective alterations made to the Web site and for its thorough process which provides a blueprint to guide other agencies seeking to use the Internet.
The reopened site increases privacy protections by 1) providing information that while useful to the individual for financial planning purposes has less potential for abuse or misuse by others if inappropriately accessed; and 2) increasing security by adding a sixth element -- a one-time password delivered via email -- to the original 5 pieces of personal information needed to access personal information at the site. By both increasing the security on the front-end and decreasing the potential damage of inappropriate access by providing selective information rather than full earnings and benefits information, the SSA has crafted a system that meets their Privacy Act mandate of providing individuals with access to records the government holds about them in a reasonably secure fashion.
In addition, the SSA committed itself to establishing mechanisms to ensure privacy issues are addressed on a continual basis, including: 1) the development of a comprehensive privacy and security policy for online activities; 2) the establishment of an ongoing process for consultation with outside privacy and security experts; 3) the issuance and external review of privacy impact statements prior to proceeding with significant projects; and 4) the publication of a periodic privacy review of SSAís activities.
CDT believes that the SSAís efforts and conclusions provide a blue print that should guide other government agencies as they strive to use the Internet to provide individuals access to their personal information in a manner that preserves individual privacy.
Social Security Administration Announces Web Site Public Forums
April 29, 1997 -- The Social Security Administration (SSA) has announced dates for a series of public forums to discuss privacy safeguards needed for the SSA to securely provide transaction services on the Internet. These forums will be held in response to media, privacy advocates, and the public's concerns about the SSA's Interactive Personal Earnings and Benefit Estimate Statement (PEBES).
The first forum is scheduled for May 5th in Hartford, CT. Other forum sites include Des Moines, IA (May 16); San Jose, CA (May 28); Austin, TX (June 6); Atlanta, GA (June 10); and Washington, DC (June 18).
Interested parties can also e-mail comments to the SSA: publicforum@ssa.gov
In March, the SSA offered interested individuals the ability to view their PEBES online at the SSA Web Site. The PEBES provides a history of an individual's salary record by year, Social Security taxes paid, and an estimate of retirement and disability benefits. To obtain a PEBES online, an individual needed to input their Social Security number, their mother's maiden name, and the state where they were born.
In other developments, the four co-chairs of the Congressional Internet Caucus recently wrote to Social Security Administration Acting Commissioner John Callahan in response to the Social Security web site controversy. The April 15 letter, signed by Reps. Rick White (R-WA), Rick Boucher (D-VA), and Senators Conrad Burns (R-MT) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT), commends the Social Security Administration's efforts to provide the public with access to their records via the Internet, and urges the SSA to investigate technological solutions to authenticate visitors.