SSA IG: Personally Identifiable Information Made Available to the Public Via the Death Master File

Follow-up: Personally Identifiable Information Made Available to the Public Via the Death Master File (Limited Distribution), A-06-10-20173, 3/31/11

  • “SSA implemented procedures to report erroneous death entry-related personally identifiable information (PII) breaches to the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team each week. SSA also hired a contractor to provide ongoing reviews of Death Master File (DMF) exposure related to 26,930 individuals whose PII SSA inadvertently exposed from July 2006 through January 2009. The contractor evaluated available data for anomalous patterns that could identify organized misuse. SSA stated that, to date, the contractor has identified no organized misuse. However, SSA did not implement a risk-based approach for distributing DMF information, attempt to limit the amount of information included on the DMF version sold to the public, or explore alternatives to inclusion of individuals’ full Social Security number (SSN). SSA continued to publish the DMF with the knowledge its contents included the PII of living numberholders.”
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    Posted in: Government Documents, ID Theft, Privacy
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