Social security no. what for?

well im just wondering why social security no. seems so confidential and yet everytime you need to apply you should give them your social security no.? can anyone pls explain what is social securty no for?

Social security no. what for?
It is used as a identity tracking mechanism. Your criminal record and your credit record are both attached to that number.
Reply:The original purpose of this number was to track individuals' accounts within the Social Security program. It has since come to be used as a unique identifier for individuals within the United States, although rare errors occur where duplicates do exist. Employee records, patient records, student records, and credit records are sometimes indexed by Social Security number. The U.S. military has used the Social Security number as an identification number for the Army and Air Force since July 1, 1969, the Navy and Marine Corps since January 1, 1972, and the Coast Guard since October 1, 1974.





Contrary to popular belief, there is no law requiring a U.S. citizen to apply for a Social Security number to live or work in the United States; however, it is required for parents to claim their children as tax dependents. Although some people do not have an SSN assigned to them, it is becoming ever increasingly difficult to engage in legitimate financial activities without one.