Report to the President's Council on Integrity and Efficiency. Federal Agencies' Controls over the Access, Disclosure and Use of Social Security Numbers by External Entities.

摘要

At the request of the House Ways and Means Committee, Subcommittee on Social Security, and discussions with the President's Council on Integrity and Efficiency (PCIE), the Social Security Administration's Office of the Inspector General (OIG) led 15 OIGs in determining whether their respective agencies had adequate controls over: Contractors' access to and use of Social Security numbers (SSN), access to individuals' SSNs maintained in agency databases, non-Government/non-contractor entities' access and use of SSNs, and disclosures of SSNs to external entities. This report provides the results of the joint audit conducted under the direction of the PCIE's Audit Committee. Based on the conditions identified during the audit, we concluded that Federal agencies would benefit by strengthening some of their controls over the access, disclosure and use of SSNs by external entities. Most participating OIGs reported their agencies had inadequate controls over (1) contractors' access to and use of SSNs and (2) access to individuals' SSNs maintained in agency databases. The participating OIGs either have issued or will be issuing individual reports to their respective departments or agencies. The report make recommendations for corrective actions at the department or agency level.