How must social security numbers (SSN) be treated within the Department of Defense?

Social Security numbers (SSN) must be treated as For Official Use Only (FOUO) within the Department of Defense. This designation indicates that while the information is not classified at the national security level, it is sensitive and needs to be protected from unauthorized disclosure. As FOUO, SSNs should only be accessible to personnel who have a legitimate need to know in order to perform their official duties.

This level of protection is necessary because SSNs are tied to individual identities and can be used for identity theft if accessed by unauthorized individuals. Therefore, the handling of SSNs within the Department of Defense is governed by specific procedures to safeguard this information, ensuring that it is not publicly disclosed and is only shared in controlled environments among authorized personnel. Treating it as public information or merely for internal review would fail to provide the necessary level of security and privacy required to protect individuals’ identities.