News Topic - Social Security
Articles 21 - 30 of most recent articles
U.S. Treasury Introducing Direct Express(R) Debit Card to Social Security Recipients in Western States
Read full story for latest details.
PR Newswire – Sep 4, 2008 10:37 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Top Stories: Press Releases
Read full story for latest details.
PR Newswire – Sep 4, 2008 10:37 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Top Stories: Press Releases
Social Security system wants recipients to sign up for debit card
This month, the nearly 23,000 Tucsonans who receive Social Security and Supplemental Security Income checks will receive an offer for a new debit card to replace paper checks.
Tucson Citizen – Sep 4, 2008 07:50 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: Arizona: Tucson
This month, the nearly 23,000 Tucsonans who receive Social Security and Supplemental Security Income checks will receive an offer for a new debit card to replace paper checks.
Tucson Citizen – Sep 4, 2008 07:50 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: Arizona: Tucson
Treasury Department Offers Social Security Debit Card
Treasury Department is introduces a Social Security debit card in a dozen Western states.
Fox News – Sep 4, 2008 06:16 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Politics
Treasury Department is introduces a Social Security debit card in a dozen Western states.
Fox News – Sep 4, 2008 06:16 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Politics
Dykstra wants to focus on issues, not health
State Rep. Joel Dykstra, R-Canton, faces a race complicated by the health of his opponent, but the message he hopes will reach voters is that an intractable Congress, including his opponent, Sen. Tim Johnson, has failed to deal with issues such as energy security, health care, immigration and Social Security.In a meeting with the Argus Leader editorial board Wednesday, Dykstra acknowledged that the state of Johnson's recovery from a December 2006 brain hemorrhage and Johnson's subsequent decision not to take part in debates has shaped the campaign so far."I have consistently stuck to my beliefs that this should be about the issues," Dykstra said. But he said in every interview and public appearance, he has been asked about Johnson's health.
Argus Leader – Sep 4, 2008 05:33 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: South Dakota: Sioux Falls
State Rep. Joel Dykstra, R-Canton, faces a race complicated by the health of his opponent, but the message he hopes will reach voters is that an intractable Congress, including his opponent, Sen. Tim Johnson, has failed to deal with issues such as energy security, health care, immigration and Social Security.In a meeting with the Argus Leader editorial board Wednesday, Dykstra acknowledged that the state of Johnson's recovery from a December 2006 brain hemorrhage and Johnson's subsequent decision not to take part in debates has shaped the campaign so far."I have consistently stuck to my beliefs that this should be about the issues," Dykstra said. But he said in every interview and public appearance, he has been asked about Johnson's health.
Argus Leader – Sep 4, 2008 05:33 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: South Dakota: Sioux Falls
Planned sale of records intensifies privacy concerns
Operators of a public records Web site that lists the Social Security numbers of thousands of Iowans confirmed Wednesday that they have been attempting to sell the information to a real estate database company. The site came under fire this week from privacy watchdogs who said personal data on it could lead to identity theft. Portions of the site containing personal data were temporarily shut down on Wednesday.
DesMoinesRegister.com – Sep 4, 2008 05:19 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: Iowa: Des Moines
Operators of a public records Web site that lists the Social Security numbers of thousands of Iowans confirmed Wednesday that they have been attempting to sell the information to a real estate database company. The site came under fire this week from privacy watchdogs who said personal data on it could lead to identity theft. Portions of the site containing personal data were temporarily shut down on Wednesday.
DesMoinesRegister.com – Sep 4, 2008 05:19 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: Iowa: Des Moines
Security Matters: How to Create the Perfect Fake Identity
Let me start off by saying that I'm making this whole thing up.Imagine you're in charge of infiltrating sleeper agents into the United States. The year is 1983, and the proliferation of identity databases is making it increasingly difficult to create fake credentials. Ten years ago, someone could have just shown up in the country and gotten a driver's license, Social Security card and bank account -- possibly using the identity of someone roughly the same age who died as a young child -- but it's getting harder. And you know that trend will only continue. So you decide to grow your own identities.Call it "identity farming." You invent a handful of infants. You apply for Social Security numbers for them. Eventually, you open bank accounts for them, file tax returns for them, register them to vote, and apply for credit cards in their name. And now, 25 years later, you have a handful of identities ready and waiting for some real people to step into them.There are some complications, of course. Maybe you need people to sign their name as parents -- or, at least, mothers. Maybe you need to doctors to fill out birth certificates. Maybe you need to fill out paperwork certifying that you're home-schooling these children. You'll certainly want to exercise their financial identity: depositing money into their bank accounts and withdrawing it from ATMs, using their credit cards and paying the bills, and so on. And you'll need to establish some sort of addresses for them, even if it is just a mail drop.You won't be able to get driver's licenses or photo IDs on their name. That isn't critical, though; in the U.S., more than 20 million adult citizens don't have photo IDs. But other than that, I can't think of any reason why identity farming wouldn't work. Here's the real question: Do you actually have to show up for any part of your life?Again, I made this all up. I have no evidence that anyone is actually doing this. It's not something a criminal organization is likely to do; twenty-five years is too distant a payoff horizon. The same logic holds true for terrorist organizations; it's not worth it. It might have been worth it to the KGB -- although perhaps harder to justify after the Soviet Union broke up in 1991 -- and might be an attractive option to existing intelligence adversaries like China.Immortals could also use this trick to self-perpetuate themselves, inventing their own children and gradually assuming their identity, then killing their parents off. They could even show up for their own driver's license photos, wearing a beard as the father and blue spiked hair as the son. I’m told this is a common idea in Highlander fan fiction.The point isn't to create another movie plot threat, but to point out the central role that data has taken on in our lives. Previously, I've said that we all have a data shadow that follows us around, and that more and more institutions interact with our data shadows instead of with us. We only intersect with our data shadows once in a while -- when we apply for a driver's license or passport, for example -- and those interactions are authenticated by older, less-secure interactions. The rest of the world assumes that our photo IDs glue us to our data shadows, ignoring the rather flimsy connection between us and our plastic cards. (And, no, REAL-ID won't help.)It seems to me that our data shadows are becoming increasingly distinct from us, almost with a life of their own. What's important now is our shadows; we're secondary. And as our society relies more and more on these shadows, we might even become unnecessary.Our data shadows can live a perfectly normal life without us.---Bruce Schneier is Chief Security Technology Officer of BT, and author of Beyond Fear: Thinking Sensibly About Security in an Uncertain World.
Wired News – Sep 4, 2008 04:00 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Technology
Let me start off by saying that I'm making this whole thing up.Imagine you're in charge of infiltrating sleeper agents into the United States. The year is 1983, and the proliferation of identity databases is making it increasingly difficult to create fake credentials. Ten years ago, someone could have just shown up in the country and gotten a driver's license, Social Security card and bank account -- possibly using the identity of someone roughly the same age who died as a young child -- but it's getting harder. And you know that trend will only continue. So you decide to grow your own identities.Call it "identity farming." You invent a handful of infants. You apply for Social Security numbers for them. Eventually, you open bank accounts for them, file tax returns for them, register them to vote, and apply for credit cards in their name. And now, 25 years later, you have a handful of identities ready and waiting for some real people to step into them.There are some complications, of course. Maybe you need people to sign their name as parents -- or, at least, mothers. Maybe you need to doctors to fill out birth certificates. Maybe you need to fill out paperwork certifying that you're home-schooling these children. You'll certainly want to exercise their financial identity: depositing money into their bank accounts and withdrawing it from ATMs, using their credit cards and paying the bills, and so on. And you'll need to establish some sort of addresses for them, even if it is just a mail drop.You won't be able to get driver's licenses or photo IDs on their name. That isn't critical, though; in the U.S., more than 20 million adult citizens don't have photo IDs. But other than that, I can't think of any reason why identity farming wouldn't work. Here's the real question: Do you actually have to show up for any part of your life?Again, I made this all up. I have no evidence that anyone is actually doing this. It's not something a criminal organization is likely to do; twenty-five years is too distant a payoff horizon. The same logic holds true for terrorist organizations; it's not worth it. It might have been worth it to the KGB -- although perhaps harder to justify after the Soviet Union broke up in 1991 -- and might be an attractive option to existing intelligence adversaries like China.Immortals could also use this trick to self-perpetuate themselves, inventing their own children and gradually assuming their identity, then killing their parents off. They could even show up for their own driver's license photos, wearing a beard as the father and blue spiked hair as the son. I’m told this is a common idea in Highlander fan fiction.The point isn't to create another movie plot threat, but to point out the central role that data has taken on in our lives. Previously, I've said that we all have a data shadow that follows us around, and that more and more institutions interact with our data shadows instead of with us. We only intersect with our data shadows once in a while -- when we apply for a driver's license or passport, for example -- and those interactions are authenticated by older, less-secure interactions. The rest of the world assumes that our photo IDs glue us to our data shadows, ignoring the rather flimsy connection between us and our plastic cards. (And, no, REAL-ID won't help.)It seems to me that our data shadows are becoming increasingly distinct from us, almost with a life of their own. What's important now is our shadows; we're secondary. And as our society relies more and more on these shadows, we might even become unnecessary.Our data shadows can live a perfectly normal life without us.---Bruce Schneier is Chief Security Technology Officer of BT, and author of Beyond Fear: Thinking Sensibly About Security in an Uncertain World.
Wired News – Sep 4, 2008 04:00 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Technology
S.D. monitoring Web data ruckus in Iowa
Detailed public land records published on a Web site sponsored by Iowa elected officials were removed Wednesday because of identity theft concerns, and some in South Dakota are watching the situation closely as they explore options here for providing more information online.The Web site, Iowa LandRecords.org, was drawing complaints from privacy watchdogs and people whose private information was on the site, including Social Security numbers for Iowa Gov. Chet Culver and Secretary of State Michael Mauro.Culver's and Mauro's numbers were redacted soon after a story about the site was reported at desmoinesregister.com. Culver on Tuesday requested that all the records with information that can be used in identity theft be removed immediately.
Argus Leader – Sep 4, 2008 04:00 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: South Dakota: Sioux Falls
Detailed public land records published on a Web site sponsored by Iowa elected officials were removed Wednesday because of identity theft concerns, and some in South Dakota are watching the situation closely as they explore options here for providing more information online.The Web site, Iowa LandRecords.org, was drawing complaints from privacy watchdogs and people whose private information was on the site, including Social Security numbers for Iowa Gov. Chet Culver and Secretary of State Michael Mauro.Culver's and Mauro's numbers were redacted soon after a story about the site was reported at desmoinesregister.com. Culver on Tuesday requested that all the records with information that can be used in identity theft be removed immediately.
Argus Leader – Sep 4, 2008 04:00 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: South Dakota: Sioux Falls
New guide explores making the most of Social Security
Many older Americans may be shortchanging their golden years by tapping into Social Security too soon, according to a University of Illinois expert who has studied the federal retirement program for nearly two decades.
EurekAlert! – Sep 4, 2008 04:00 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Technology: Science
Many older Americans may be shortchanging their golden years by tapping into Social Security too soon, according to a University of Illinois expert who has studied the federal retirement program for nearly two decades.
EurekAlert! – Sep 4, 2008 04:00 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Technology: Science
Many Americans Tap Into Social Security Too Early
Many older Americans may be shortchanging their golden years by tapping into Social Security too soon, according to an expert who has studied the federal retirement program for nearly two decades.
Science Daily – Sep 4, 2008 04:00 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Health: AIDS - HIV
Many older Americans may be shortchanging their golden years by tapping into Social Security too soon, according to an expert who has studied the federal retirement program for nearly two decades.
Science Daily – Sep 4, 2008 04:00 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Health: AIDS - HIV
Site removes documents with personal information
DES MOINES, Iowa— A Web site that was drawing criticism for publishing land documents that included Social Security numbers and other information has removed the information from its Web site.
Quad-City Times – Sep 3, 2008 11:28 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: Illinois: Davenport-Rock Island-Moline
DES MOINES, Iowa— A Web site that was drawing criticism for publishing land documents that included Social Security numbers and other information has removed the information from its Web site.
Quad-City Times – Sep 3, 2008 11:28 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: Illinois: Davenport-Rock Island-Moline