Comments on: Before you activate your iPhone, read this!

Apple and AT&T are demanding that subscribers reveal their Social Security numbers. How safe is that?

[OscarWeb]

It's called a credit check

Try and have a credit check done without using your SS #. It won't happen.

[Samker]

iPhone (Norton 2008)

This is one excelent observacion about iPhone!

Also Out there is another upcoming story about New Norton AntiVirus 2008, if You want You can check them (or even download one) at:

Security CENTRAL Forum

http://www.SCForum.info

[Craig_ema]

Haven't switched providers in a while I see!!!

It's standard practice for new users by all providers to do a credit check for the contract. If you are an existing user for a provider and change, renew or modify your account it isn't necessary. If you, however, switch providers or are a new costumer the provider will run a credit check. The only way to do this is with your ssn. This procedure applies to all monthly billables. If you change states and want a land line, cable, DSL or power account established the same credit check applies. Note: if you fall behind these same monthly billables will report you (using your ssn) to the credit agencies. Wlcome to America the home of the brave and the land of the free. Happy Independance Day.

[witib03]

Unless you want to fork out more money!!

Like others have stated... its for a credit check!! You CAN not provide your SSN, but be prepared to fork out another $200 to $500 in a deposit! Now forget to make a monthly payment and watch that money disappear!!

[ze_gnomish]

all cell phone carriers require this info

all cell phone carriers require this information for an account to be setup. if you do the credit check you actually have to give out your drivers license number etc for the credit check but even if you have it all done the cell phone carrier would require that number (or a part of it like the last four digits) to activate any phone on the account. its their way to make sure that people don't get phones activated on their account without their permission. since they are allowing an electronic signature for a 2 year contract they have to confirm it somehow and the ssn is how the cell phone companies have typically done that. this is not really news. what this article should be about is that cell phone companies (in general) should be required to use something else besides the ssn for account verification.

[AxleMunshine]

I am glad it is illegal up North

In Canada, well, at least in Quebec, it is illegal for a private business to require a SIN (equivalent of SSN) as identification. They can ask for it, but if you don't want to give it and the business refuses your patronage because of this, they can get in trouble with the law.
For a credit check, something like a credit card and a driver's license number is sufficient.

[jeffala]

Oh Henny Penny...

One day Turky Lurky saw Henny Penny rushing around in a frantic state.

"Oh Henny Penny, where are you rushing off to", she inquired.

"I'm off to warn the King, Turky Lurky," Henny Penny answered. "The sky is
FALLING."

"The sky is falling," Turky Lurky asked.

"The SKY is FALLING!" exclaimed Henny Penny.

"OH MY THE SKY IS FALLING!" shouted Turky Lurky. "Let's both go warn the
King."

[olivierroure]

Wake up and smell the roses

Everybody is asking for your SSN.
Have you been living under a Rock ?????

[fdrizzo]

The point is.....

The SSN should not be used for identification purposes in the first place! Yeah,
everybody asks for it, but that doesn't mean they should get it. For a credit
check? Again, the SSN should not be used for identification.....but it is. And
identity theft continues.

[fastmaster]

Sorry, Too Late

I activated my phone on 6/29, Friday night (8:30 ET) using the web sign up. I
entered all the data including my social security. To date (fingers crossed) there
has been no problem.

[mikekrause]

Possible Alternative to AT&T Service

There is absolutely no legitimate reason for requiring a Social Security Number to activate a phone.

For those interested in the possibility of using a carrier other than AT&T, you might want to give this a read:

http://www.cio-today.com/news/-DVD-Jon--Cracks-iPhone-Activation/story.xhtml?story_id=011000TUEM65

[kool_skatkat]

.Net a security threat

Hacker are starting to use .Net ... should companies stay away from it?

http://www.macnewsworld.com/rsstory/58173.html

[dev454]

Prepaid Account

Some people have used 999-99-9999 instead of their SSN to get a prepaid account, which is more expensive.

[sandor_f]

Credit Checks ALWAYS require a SSN

Has the author never bought something/signed a contract that required a credit
check?

credit cards, mortgages, car loans, cell phone contracts, etc

anything that requires a credit check requires your SSN, as this is how the three
main credit reporting agencies differentiate people. plain and simple.

this "public service statement" is a bunch of FUD

[jcroft]

This article is an offensive piece of journalism

Honestly, this may be the worst-researched and most hyperbolic piece I've
ever read on CNet -- and that's saying a lot.

Is this your first cell phone? Has CNet never actually activated any of the
thousands of phones it has reviewed? As others have pointed out, all cell
carriers ask for your SSN in order to complete their credit check. It's shocking
and frankly, offensive that you failed to mention this point.

But what's MOST offensive about this piece of "journalism" is the fact that you
framed it as having something to do with the iPhone. If you think AT&T (or all
cell carriers) shouldn't require a SSN, then write an article about it. But don't
mooch off the iPhone's popularity and use your personal pet peeve about cell
phone activation as another way to feed into CNet's anti-Apple hyperbole
machine.

This article has nothing to do with Apple, the iPhone or AT&T. It only has to
do with the fact that SSNs are required to do credit checks, which is not news,
since everyone -- including you, I'm quite certain -- has been through this
process a million times.

And seriously -- doesn't CNet have a graphic design department you can take
advantage of? That red-marker on a screenshot piece is not doing you any
favors in the please-take-me-seriously department.

[mvora]

Article was bad enough when you posted it as blog

Now you post this misleading and fear-mongering tripe as a regular article,
after all the comments you received? You should be ashamed of yourself.

PATHETIC.

To those who don't know what I'm talking about:

http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9739118-7.html?tag=tb

[TheDudeandHis360]

Um, did you just get a cell phone?

All phone companies require you to give out your SSN as part of the credit check
proccess and quite often AT & T uses SSNs to identify customers calling in about
certain topics (mostly billing related).

Regardless of phones...iPhone, RAZRs, the crappy LG flipphones that are "free".
Whatever. Yeah, its probably a terrible policy but it has nothing to do with the
iPhone specifically. Cnet needs to dial back the sensationalism a few notches.

[MichaelTiemann]

Collecting my thoughts...

I have read the 90+ comments people have left for me, and I have responded by re-collecting my thoughts. You can read them at the (parent.thesis) website, or here if you want to go there directly: http://blogs.cnet.com/8301-13507_1-9740251-18.html

[aldenstrad]

Government Paranoia

SSNs are overused - true statement. SSNs are often in credit checks to
establish uniqueness and identity - also true. You do not propose an
alternative, by the way.

The canard about AT&T's cooperation with requests for records information
and call logs is just silly, though. Did it happen? Sure. Is it wrong? Lots of
arguments about that.

Who was the request source, though? Yep, it was the big, bad government.

Think they might already have your SSN? Sure hope so.

So that data leak you were so worried about? Rest easy and activate your
wife's iPhone. It's the least risky thing you've done with your SSN in a while.