• Horsey@lemmy.world
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    7 hours ago

    Wait until non Americans hear that our national social security ID number is only 4/9 digits worth of “random” numbers. (Fun fact, the entire number was procedurally generated based on where you were born and in what order at the hospital for generations until they changed it recently)

    • Hildegard (she/her)@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      4 hours ago

      The numbers aren’t random. They are sequential. The early digits are assigned geographically, but the rest are in sequence. If you know a valid social security number, adding or subtracting 1 will be another valid social security number, most likely someone born in the same hospital on the same day.

      They did change it somewhat recently, but they don’t re-assign the numbers when making that change, so most of the numbers are completely insecure.