2022 New York Laws
PBO - Public Officers
Article 6-A - Personal Privacy Protection Law
96-A - Prohibited Conduct.

§  96-a.  Prohibited  conduct.  1.  Beginning  on  January  first, two
thousand ten the state and its political subdivisions shall not  do  any
of the following, unless required by law:
  (a)  Intentionally communicate to the general public or otherwise make
available to the general public in any  manner  an  individual's  social
security   account  number.  This  paragraph  shall  not  apply  to  any
individual  intentionally  communicating  to  the  general   public   or
otherwise  making  available  to  the  general  public his or her social
security account number.
  (b) Print an individual's social security account number on  any  card
or  tag  required  for  the  individual  to access products, services or
benefits provided by the state and its political subdivisions.
  (c) Require an individual to  transmit  his  or  her  social  security
account number over the internet, unless the connection is secure or the
social security account number is encrypted.
  (d)  Require  an  individual to use his or her social security account
number to access an internet web  site,  unless  a  password  or  unique
personal  identification  number  or other authentication device is also
required to access the internet website.
  (e) Include an individual's social security account number, except the
last four digits thereof, on  any  materials  that  are  mailed  to  the
individual,  or  in any electronic mail that is copied to third parties,
unless state or federal law requires the social security account  number
to  be  on  the  document  to be mailed. Notwithstanding this paragraph,
social security account numbers may  be  included  in  applications  and
forms  sent  by mail, including documents sent as part of an application
or enrollment process, or to establish, amend or terminate  an  account,
contract  or  policy,  or to confirm the accuracy of the social security
account number. A social security account number that is permitted to be
mailed under this section may not be printed, in whole or in part, on  a
postcard  or  other  mailer not requiring an envelope, or visible on the
envelope or without the envelope having been opened.
  (f) Encode or embed a social security  number  in  or  on  a  card  or
document,  including,  but  not  limited  to,  using  a  bar code, chip,
magnetic strip, or other technology, in place  of  removing  the  social
security number as required by this section.
  (g)  Nothing  in  this  section shall prohibit a county clerk or court
from making available a document publicly recorded or filed prior to the
effective date of this section, provided that if any individual requests
redaction of a social security number from a publicly recorded  document
available  to  the public online, such number shall be promptly redacted
by the county clerk. Nothing in this section shall limit  disclosure  of
criminal history record information currently permitted.
  2.  As  used  in  this  section "social security account number" shall
include the nine digit account  number  issued  by  the  federal  social
security  administration  and  any  number  derived therefrom. Such term
shall not include any number that has been encrypted.
  3. This section does not prevent the collection, use or release  of  a
social  security  account number as required by state or federal law, or
the use of a social security account number for  internal  verification,
fraud investigation or administrative purposes.