I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2455 
To amend title II of the Social Security Act to prohibit the sale, purchase, 
and display to the general public of the Social Security account number. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 23, 2007 
Mr. CARTER (for himself, Mr. THORNBERRY, Mr. NEUGEBAUER, and Ms. 
GRANGER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Ways and Means 
A BILL 
To amend title II of the Social Security Act to prohibit 
the sale, purchase, and display to the general public 
of the Social Security account number. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Social Security Num-
ber Non-Proliferation Act of 2007’’. 
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SEC. 2. PROHIBITION OF THE SALE, PURCHASE, AND DIS-
PLAY TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC OF THE SO-
CIAL SECURITY ACCOUNT NUMBER. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Title II of the Social Security Act 
is amended by inserting after section 208 (42 U.S.C. 408) 
the following new section: 
‘‘PROHIBITION OF THE SALE, PURCHASE, AND DISPLAY 
TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC OF THE SOCIAL SECURITY 
ACCOUNT NUMBER 
‘‘SEC. 208A. (a) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this 
section: 
‘‘(1) PERSON.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to subpara-
graph (B), the term ‘person’ means any indi-
vidual, partnership, corporation, trust, estate, 
cooperative, association, or any other entity. 
‘‘(B) GOVERNMENTAL
ENTITIES.—Such 
term does not include a governmental entity. 
Nothing in this subparagraph shall be con-
strued to authorize, in connection with a gov-
ernmental entity, an act or practice otherwise 
prohibited 
under 
this 
section 
or 
section 
205(c)(2)(C). 
‘‘(2) SELLING AND PURCHASING.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to subpara-
graph (B)— 
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‘‘(i) SELL.—The term ‘sell’ in connec-
tion with a social security account number 
means to obtain, directly or indirectly, any-
thing of value in exchange for such num-
ber. 
‘‘(ii) PURCHASE.—The term ‘pur-
chase’ in connection with a social security 
account number means to provide, directly 
or indirectly, anything of value in exchange 
for such number. 
‘‘(B) EXCEPTIONS.—The terms ‘sell’ and 
‘purchase’ in connection with a social security 
account number do not include the submission 
of such number as part of— 
‘‘(i) the process for applying for any 
type of Government benefits or programs 
(such as grants or loans or welfare or 
other public assistance programs), 
‘‘(ii) the administration of, or provi-
sion of benefits under, an employee benefit 
plan, or 
‘‘(iii) the sale, lease, merger, transfer, 
or exchange of a trade or business. 
‘‘(3) DISPLAY TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC.— 
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‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘display to 
the general public’ means, in connection with a 
social security account number, to intentionally 
place such number in a viewable manner on an 
Internet site that is available to the general 
public or to make such number available in any 
other manner intended to provide access to such 
number by the general public. 
‘‘(B) INTERNET TRANSMISSIONS.—In any 
case in which a person requires, as a condition 
of doing business with such person, transmittal 
to such person of an individual’s social security 
account number by means of the Internet with-
out reasonable provisions to ensure that such 
number is encrypted or otherwise secured from 
disclosure, any such transmittal of such number 
as so required shall be treated as a ‘display to 
the general public’ of such number by such per-
son. 
‘‘(4) SOCIAL
SECURITY
ACCOUNT
NUMBER.— 
The term ‘social security account number’ has the 
meaning given such term in section 208(c), except 
that such term includes any derivative of such num-
ber. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, any ex-
pression, contained in or on any item sold or dis-
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played to the general public, shall not be treated as 
a social security account number solely because such 
expression sets forth not more than the last 4 digits 
of such number, if the remainder of such number 
cannot be determined based solely on such expres-
sion or any other matter presented in or on such 
item. 
‘‘(b) PROHIBITION OF SALE, PURCHASE, AND DIS-
PLAY TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC.—(1) Except as provided 
in paragraph (2), it shall be unlawful for any person to— 
‘‘(A) sell or purchase a social security account 
number or display to the general public a social se-
curity account number, or 
‘‘(B) obtain or use any individual’s social secu-
rity account number for the purpose of locating or 
identifying such individual with the intent to phys-
ically injure or harm such individual or using the 
identity of such individual for any illegal purpose. 
‘‘(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), and subject to 
paragraph (3), a social security account number may be 
sold or purchased by any person to the extent provided 
in this subsection (and for no other purpose) as follows: 
‘‘(A) to the extent necessary for law enforce-
ment, including (but not limited to) the enforcement 
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