School Replaces SSN Identification with Hand Scans to Prevent Identity Theft

Many have wondered if perhaps biometric identification is the answer to preventing identity theft. At least one university is putting that to the test. Middle Tennessee State University is assigning new identification numbers (instead of Social Security numbers) and requiring hand scans for identification.

The school is requiring both for access to some of the university's facilities including the new recreation facility. The university stopped stopped printing Social Security numbers on ID cards years ago although some professors still had them. The new ID numbers and hand scans are moving them further from the Social Security number identification system and will hopefully aid in the prevention of identity theft.

The matter has been discussed in a number of resources on identity theft. Biometric identification is one method being seriously considered. Whether or not it will prevent identity theft on the level experts are hoping for remains to be seen. However, the method MTSU with both the identification numbers and the hand scan together is fairly limited in its use, so this appears to be a positive step for protecting both faculty and students.