SOCIAL SECURITY

SOCIAL SECURITY
By DAVID BROWN

If you do business with Social Security online - or if you are thinking about doing business with us online - you will want to take note of a recent government report on computer security. The U. S. House of Representatives Government Reform Committee ranked Social Security at the top of the list among Federal Government agencies, with a grade of A+.

The committee's scores were based on many criteria, among them how well an agency limited access to private information. The letter grades depended on how well agencies met the requirements set out in the Federal Information Security Management Act.

Social Security's high marks reflect the fact that our agency uses a variety of proactive security measures to protect the information that the American public entrusts to us. Social Security has always recognized the importance of protecting the privacy of the information we maintain about the people we serve, and ensuring the integrity and accuracy of the records we keep and the payments we make. In fact, the Social Security Board's first regulation, published in 1937, dealt with the confidentiality of SSA records.

"For more than 70 years, Social Security has honored its commitment to the American people to maintain the confidentiality of our records," said Jo Anne Barnhart, Commissioner of Social Security.

Anyone who would like to see the wide variety of safe and secure services that are available online can visit our Web site at www.socialsecurity.gov . Popular services include applying for benefits, estimating future benefits, changing your address or phone number and requesting a proof of income letter. To find out more, just click on the headline in the upper left hand corner of the webpage entitled What You Can Do Online.

Mr. Brown is District Manager of the Social Security Administration's Downtown New York Office.