You asked if a wireless telephone company or credit card company can deny goods or services to a customer who refuses to provide a social security number.

While there are a number of laws in place regarding the proper use and protection of social security numbers, there is no federal or Connecticut law that prevents businesses, including wireless telephone companies, from requiring social security numbers as a condition of service. In some instances, businesses have been known to accept an alternate identification number. However, this is rare in transactions involving the extension of credit, as social security numbers are the principal identifier associated with credit reports. While the practice is not prohibited by federal law, a cursory legal database search reveals that at least three states, Maine, Rhode Island, and Michigan, prohibit certain private businesses from requiring a social security number as a condition of service. We enclose OLR reports 2001-R-0806 and 2003-R-0373 to provide you with more detailed information on social security number use restrictions.

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