Consumer Protection and Privacy

Several federal laws regulate governmental use of an individual’s social security number. However, these laws do not apply to the collection of a social security number by a private party. This issue brief provides an overview of the restrictions on state and local governmental use of a person’s social security number, permissible uses of a person’s social security number by a state or local governmental agency, and situations in which state and local governments are required to collect a person’s social security number.

Wisconsin law recognizes an individual’s right to privacy. To protect this right, there are a number of privacy laws that are either enforced privately by the individual whose right was violated in the case of a civil violation, or by local district attorneys in the case of a criminal violation. This information memorandum discusses the various civil and criminal penalties that may be imposed when a person’s right to privacy has been violated.

The unauthorized use of personal identifying information, commonly termed “identity theft” is prohibited in Wisconsin. Identity theft occurs when a person intentionally uses or attempts to use personal identifying information or personal identification documents of another to obtain anything of value, including credit or services. In addition to the crime of identity theft, Wisconsin has a number of other laws intended to curb the practice. These laws include records disposal and loss notification requirements, certain restrictions on the recording of Social Security numbers, and the ability to place a “security freeze” on one’s credit reports to prevent unauthorized use.