US Social Security Administration reverses freedom-impeding identity verification policy

Everyone eligible for social security ought to be able to claim the benefits that belong to them in freedom.

On March 18, 2025, the United States Social Security Administration (SSA) announced that starting March 31, 2025, any processes that require proof of identity must be completed in person or on the SSA's website for managing social security related information, my Social Security (MSS). These processes include applying for cash benefits, changing direct deposit information, and completing an application started on the phone or paper, among others. Two days before the extended deadline of April 14, the SSA rolled back the entire new policy and instead "will allow individuals to complete all claim types via telephone, supported by new anti-fraud capabilities designed to protect beneficiaries and streamline the customer experience." This move seems to be a result of continued pressure from many people and organizations contacting the SSA with concerns that this policy would have very likely resulted in cutting social security benefits for thousands.

When the SSA first announced it would be ceasing conducting many of its services over the phone, the governmental agency claimed that the reform was necessary to increase security. Perhaps they did indeed need to increase security, as they have according to their most recent blog post, but no level of security is worth the cost of freedom. Under the originally planned policy, users would have had to choose between traveling to a possibly distant SSA office or running nonfree JavaScript. Nonfree JavaScript allows websites to track users across different sessions and domains, even if they haven't logged in or used cookies, through fingerprinting. It is unjust that anyone should have to use nonfree software to access a benefit that they are legally owed, and yet that is exactly what this policy would have forced people to do.

Had this policy gone into effect as planned, the only way to make all social security transactions in complete freedom would have required visiting a SSA office. For some individuals, this would have been but a mild inconvenience. For others, it might have meant spending an entire day traveling to and from the SSA office, just to fill out paperwork, and all the expenses that go along with it (such as taking time off, paying for childcare, gas, meals, etc.). For individuals with disabilities, this could have been an extremely taxing, and perhaps impossible, ask by the SSA.

Realistically, the updated identity verification process could have meant delays or even effective cutting of benefits for millions who rely on phone service for managing their information and/or benefits. Even if there is a SSA office within a reasonable distance of people who refuse to hand over their user freedom by using nonfree JavaScript (or simply don't have access to internet), staffing at these field offices has reportedly been overwhelmed for some time now.

The fact that social security beneficiaries no longer need to debate (for now) between choosing freedom and sometimes resource-demanding visits to an SSA office is a great victory and very much worth celebrating! This win gives us hope that we can accomplish a lot more when we work together. At the time that this article was published, the options for avoiding nonfree JavaScript are still limited when interacting with the SSA. Completing claims via phone service does respect freedom, but it doesn't always respect the valuable resource of time. Social security beneficiaries should have the choice to exercise their user freedom without sacrificing hours of their time and/or other resources. A free society should never compel you to accept nonfree software to access your social benefits. Until the SSA switches MSS to free JavaScript, a simple fact remains: a coerced choice is not a choice at all.

If you want to take back the power to control what your browser is doing, check out JShelter, an FSF project, which is an extension that improves the privacy and security of when surfing the web.

Take action

Everyone eligible for social security ought to be able to claim the benefits that belong to them in freedom, and they deserve to claim these benefits with ease. The SSA seems to respond well to pressure (the new policy was only slashed after much pushback from individuals and organizations), and you can help. We invite you to customize the below script (or write a completely different one) when you contact the SSA to advocate for free JavaScript, especially if you have a personal experience with social security:

Dear Acting Commissioner Leland Dudek,

I greatly appreciate your efforts to ensure that the social security benefits of many, including myself, are protected now and long into the future. As someone eligible for social security benefits, though, I would greatly appreciate the option to make changes to my social security benefits online without sacrificing my freedom. A free society like the United States should not force its social security beneficiaries to use websites that violate their user freedom. We need every interaction with our government, including accessing social security benefits, to be transparent, sustainable, and most of all, to protect our individual freedoms. Please visit the Free Software Foundations website at http://www.fsf.org/about/what-is-free-software to learn more about free/libre software. You can email campaigns@fsf.org if you have any questions or need help getting started. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

[your name]

Unfortunately, the SSA does not provide an email address for submitting feedback (only a contact form that uses nonfree JavaScript), so the only ways you can make your voice heard by the SSA in freedom is through phone or snail mail:

Phone Monday-Friday, 8:00 - 19:00 local time: 1-800-772-1213 or 1-800-325-0778 (for deaf and hearing impaired)
If you live outside of the United States: visit http://www.ssa.gov/foreign/index.html.
By mail: Social Security Administration, Office of Public Inquiries and Communications Support, 1100 West High Rise, 6401 Security Blvd., Baltimore, MD 21235

Please share your letter/call on social media to inspire others to do the same by tagging #FSF and #SocialSecurity or #SSA. Thank you for taking time to defend and promote user freedom. We couldn't do it without you.

Eko K. A. Owen
Outreach & Communications Coordinator

"Social Security Cards" 2013. This image is a work of the Social Security Administration (SSA), taken or made as part of an employee's official duties. As a work of the US federal government, the image is in the public domain in the United States.