This week, President Obama signed several bills into law that have privacy implications. In addition to repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, he signed The Social Security Number Protection Act of 2010 and The Truth in Caller ID Act.
The former bill is intended to help reduce identity theft by restricting the use of full Social Security Numbers on government-issued checks and by preventing prisoners from having access to Social Security Numbers. A number of media stories in the past few years had revealed how government agencies were contracting with prisons, who, in turn, had prisoners doing work that gave them access to SSN.
The second bill prohibits any person within the United States from knowingly transmitting misleading or inaccurate caller identification information “with the intent to defraud, cause harm, or wrongfully obtain anything of value.” Exemptions to the prohibition include law enforcement. People who violate the law may face forfeiture or criminal fines.