Law / United States / 
Colorado
Confidentiality of social security numbers
In force since .
A sensitive categories rule binding public and private bodies.
- Obligation class
- Prohibition, Data subject rights, Security
As of .
What it requires
- Do not publicly post or publicly display an individual's social security number in any manner, which means to intentionally communicate it or otherwise make it available to the general public (section 6-1-715(1)(a)).
- Do not print an individual's social security number on any card the individual must use to access the products or services you provide (section 6-1-715(1)(b)).
- Do not require an individual to transmit a social security number over the internet unless the connection is secure or the number is encrypted, and do not require an individual to use one to access an internet website unless a password, unique personal identification number or other authentication device is also required (section 6-1-715(1)(c) and (d)).
- Do not print an individual's social security number on materials mailed to the individual unless state or federal law requires, permits or authorizes it, and never print a number that may be mailed, in whole or in part, on a postcard or other mailer not requiring an envelope, or make it visible on the envelope or without opening the envelope (section 6-1-715(1)(e)).
- If you used an individual's social security number before in a way subsection (1) bars and want to keep doing so, keep the use continuous, give the individual an annual disclosure of the right to stop, implement a written request to stop within 30 days without a fee, and do not deny services because of the request (section 6-1-715(2)).
These lines are LexLint's reading of the law's text, as of .
If you get it wrong
Penalty structure
Section 6-1-112(1)(a): the attorney general or a district attorney may bring a civil action for a civil penalty of not more than $20,000 for each violation of any provision of article 1 of title 6, and a violation is a separate violation with respect to each consumer or transaction involved. Section 6-1-112(1)(c) raises the ceiling to $50,000 for each violation against an elderly person.
- Rule
- Per violation only
- As of
- Currency
- USD
- Per violation unit
- Violation
- Per violation amount
- 20,000
Who enforces it
Enforcement body
Colorado Attorney General and the district attorneys, who are concurrently responsible for enforcing article 1 of title 6 and may sue for civil penalties (sections 6-1-103 and 6-1-112).
Settledness
- As of
What this law does
Under section 6-1-715 of the Colorado Revised Statutes, a person or entity may not publicly post or publicly display an individual's social security number in any manner, print it on a card the individual needs to access products or services, or require the individual to transmit it over the internet unless the connection is secure or the number is encrypted.
Under section 6-1-715 of the Colorado Revised Statutes, a person or entity may not require an individual to use a social security number to access an internet website unless a password, unique personal identification number or other authentication device is also required.
Under section 6-1-715 of the Colorado Revised Statutes, a person or entity may not print an individual's social security number on materials mailed to the individual unless state or federal law requires, permits or authorizes it.
Under section 6-1-715 of the Colorado Revised Statutes, a person or entity that used a social security number before in a manner subsection (1) bars may continue that use only if the use is continuous, and subsection (1) applies again if the use stops for any reason. Under section 6-1-715 of the Colorado Revised Statutes, a person or entity continuing such a use must also give the individual an annual disclosure that the individual has the right to stop it.
Under section 6-1-715 of the Colorado Revised Statutes, a person or entity continuing such a use must implement a written request to stop the use within 30 days after receipt, may not charge a fee for doing so, and may not deny services because the individual makes the request. Section 6-1-715 does not prevent the collection, use or release of a social security number as required, permitted or authorized by state or federal law, or its use for internal verification or administrative purposes.
Section 6-1-715 does not apply to documents or records that are recorded or required to be open to the public under the constitution or laws of the state, or to an entity subject to the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. Section 6-1-103 of the Colorado Revised Statutes makes the attorney general and the district attorneys concurrently responsible for enforcing article 1 of title 6.
Section 6-1-112(1)(a) of the Colorado Revised Statutes makes a person who violates any provision of article 1 of title 6 liable to a civil penalty of not more than $20,000 for each violation, and each consumer or transaction involved is a separate violation. Section 6-1-715 took effect on .
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