Originally, the number was issued to United States citizens and working residents both temporary and permanent in order to track their accounts in the social security system. It is not a national requirement to have one although children are required to be claimed as tax dependents by their parents. The matter is, more and more transactions especially involving business and other financial transactions require all involved individuals to have an existing SS# to be considered as a trusted party.

Other agencies also rely on SS# to identify members and other workers such as the Navy, Army, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard. More and more company and business owners issue social security numbers to their employees for security reasons. The Internal Revenue Code issues SS# to people to serve as an identifier in taxation purposes. It is also one way of ensuring that individuals do not try to run away from regulations or skip taxes.

People search engines only require you to provide the social security number of the person you're looking for. Information returned to you will involve the individual's name or the current name if he or she is hiding under a new one, location and existing contact number. Other relevant information if acquired may also include all previous addresses in the past decade, names he or she was hiding behind, possible relatives, other people living in the current address and past and recent occupations. Searches can take anywhere from 1 day to 1 week.

Take note that there are protection laws concerning confidentiality and privacy issues. Unless required by law, you may be prevented from accessing any information casually. Disclosure or acquisition of SS# can also put the individual at risk for identity theft. In the case of banks, hospitals and other financial institutions, social security numbers are provided assuming that only the owner and recipient know. Authorities will need legal basis for the search such as in the case of looking for possible suspects, criminals and witnesses to a crime.

There are also fraudulent SS#s wherein you cannot fully tell whether the actual person holding or using it is the real owner. There are proposed laws restricting the use of SS# or banning it in some areas and special cases in order to protect the owner's personal data and integrity. The Social Security Administration recommends that individuals should be careful about using or giving out their SS#. They are required to ask the process or law requiring its use.

You should also have legal basis as to how and why you acquired any person's social security number. Locating old friends can be difficult but any financial transactions or businesses you input should at least give you all the involved parties' SS#. The codes will be used only for security purposes in maintaining the credibility of the transaction and it is also your responsibility to keep it confidential and safe.