One small step for privacy

As mentioned in this post, my sister, M., gave me a gift Visa to get those slippers I've been wanting. Silly me, I thought there was an actual card in the packaging and when I went to use it a few weeks ago, I couldn't find it. It made me seriously question just how screwed up my brain has gotten. But, as it turns out, it's the kind where you call in and they send it to you. So, I called yesterday and gave them my name and address and then my birthday and my phone number and finally they asked for my Social Security number.

I understood the first two or three, but that last one was just a bit too troublesome for me.

"I'm sorry, I just don't feel comfortable giving all that information over the phone to a total stranger," I told the man. "I mean, how do I know for certain you're not somebody trying to use this information for identity theft?"

"I totally understand," the guy said. "But, I'm afraid it's something we're required to do for Homeland Security."

Homeland Security?

Yep, apparently the Patriot Act requires them to take down Social Security numbers for national security purposes.

An older friend of mine from Europe used to rant about all the ways Americans give away their personal information. When our local Safeway started handing out cards to customers for them to use each time they shop to get the sale prices, she rightly saw it for what it was: a way to track what we purchased as well as punish those who refused to comply by charging them more. At the time I thought she was being a bit eccentric (and well, she is and it's what I love about her), but more and more I'm beginning to appreciate her outrage. My boyfriend, who is also a European, has had a similar disbelief at the amount of information about themselves Americans casually give away. And I have to say, it's starting to rub off on me.

Is giving away all the details needed to steal my identity to total strangers really making me safe? Is it truly securing the "homeland" or leaving us open to a massive level of intrusion into our personal lives and worse by those who might have more nefarious purposes in mind? Why are we Americans so trusting of our government when we are a nation founded upon rebellion?

With all these questions in mind, I insisted to the gift Visa guy that I did not want to share my Social Security number with him.

"Well, unfortunately I can't activate the card without it," he said apologetically. "But I can give you a refund if you like -- of the $40 and the $9.95 activation fee."

Even better. With the card, I only had $40. Now I'm also getting the $10 my sister spent to buy the card in the first place (yep, those fees are truly outrageous) along with it.

Sometimes it really pays to take a stand.

Update: LOL -- funny how blogs and papers work rather synergistically at times. In today's Washington Post is a story with the headline "Patriot Act Talks Hit Roadblock on Privacy Issue." I knew there were members of Congress who shared my discomfort. Just didn't expect a headline about it the day after my post.