In the United States, a Social Security number (SSN) is a nine-digit number issued to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and temporary (working) residents under section 205(c)(2) of the Social Security Act, codified as 42 U.S.C. ยง 405(c)(2). The number is issued to an individual by the Social Security Administration, an independent agency of the United States government. Its primary purpose is to track individuals for Social Security purposes.
A Social Security number may be obtained by applying on Form SS-5, "Application for A Social Security Number Card".
Over time, the number has been used for more diverse purposes than simply taxes, essentially making it a de facto national identification number.
Read more about Social Security Number: History, Purpose and Use, Types of Social Security Cards, Identity Theft, Structure, Exhaustion and Re-use, Valid SSNs, SSNs Invalidated By Use in Advertising
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“The American people owe it to themselves, and to the cause of free Government, to prove by their establishments for the advancement and diffusion of knowledge, that their political Institutions ... are as favorable to the intellectual and moral improvement of Man as they are conformable to his individual and social rights.”
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