SSN FAQs

Do I really have to self-report my department's Social Security Number usage?
Yes. It is necessary for ALL departments and colleges to report their SSN usage in order to implement the official UNL policy eliminating "all nonessential" use of SSNs by January 1, 2007.

What constitutes “essential” Social Security Number usage at UNL?
 Essential usage is determined by legal or administrative requirements.  Exemptions are granted by officials designated by Chancellor. If SSNs are deemed necessary, users will be required to follow best practices. 

What if we are only storing data that we are not actively using?
Storing SSNs constitutes SSN usage.  According to ITS Security, “Information Services is identifying two basic categories: data in motion and data at rest. Data in motion means data being transferred—for example, the user enters their SSN into a web-based form. Data at rest may be a list of social security numbers stored on a workstation, in someone’s database, even in physical paper files.” 

UNL is only interested in SSN on servers or “the network”, right?

Wrong.  If you have a spreadsheet, perhaps a class roster, on a laptop or a flash drive containing SSNs, you need to self-report it.