Markey/Barton unite against Google

From the NationalJournal:

Reps. Edward Markey, D-Mass., and Joe Barton, R-Texas, cochairmen of the Bipartisan Privacy Caucus and longtime members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, don’t agree on much. But after Google was caught last month collecting Social Security information from children who took part in its annual doodling contest, the lawmakers set aside their differences. In a scathing joint statement, they called the action “unacceptable.”

From the Huffington Post:

As Huffington Post blogger Bob Bowdon reported on Monday, Google was asking parents to provide the last four digits of their children's social security number on the entry form for its annual "Doodle-4-Google" contest. The form also called for the child's full name, date and place of birth and grade level. Bowdon commented that "children's social security numbers shouldn't be required for an art contest."

Note the correlation between birthplace and first three numbers; Social Security Number Birthplace Lookup



From wikipedia:
The Social Security Administration has suggested that, if asked to provide his or her Social Security number, a citizen should ask which law requires its use.