Illinois Statutes Chapter 20. Executive Branch § 4040/5. Findings

(1) Identity theft is a major and growing problem in the United States and in Illinois.

(2) An individual's social security number is a primary means of identifying the individual, and the unauthorized disclosure of the individual's social security number creates a substantial risk that the individual's identity may be stolen.

(3) Certain State officers and agencies require individuals to disclose their social security numbers for various reasons, thus creating the potential for the theft of those individuals' identities if their social security numbers are further disclosed without authorization.

(4) The State should take all necessary steps to ensure that the procedures used by its officers and agencies do not facilitate the theft of individuals' identities through the unauthorized disclosure of those individuals' social security numbers.