My Social Security Number Is Posted Where?

http://www.npr.org/2013/05/21/185788193/my-social-security-number-is-posted-where

Sensitive personal information belonging to thousands of applicants to a government phone program was exposed to the public on the Internet, according to a new investigative report from Scripps Howard News Service.

The federal program is called Lifeline, and it reimburses phone companies for providing service to low-income Americans.

Scripps reporter Isaac Wolf says he was able to access more than 100,000 records from one of those private companies online. That includes Social Security numbers, birth dates, home addresses and even copies of nutrition assistance and welfare cards.

Wolf says the company, TerraCom, and its affiliate, YourTel America, have a lot of explaining to do about exactly how — and why — these records were accessible online.