Did you get your iPhone yet?

Me neither.

Sure, and  iPhone would be sweet, but having to give out your Social Insurance Number to get one, that's a little extreme. But as it happens, iPhone customers are being asked to divulge some amount of personal information that they really shouldn't have to. Customers have reporting that Apple, along with their telco partner AT&T, are asking loyal Apple followers to give them their SIN number, something which only the government and an individuals employer have a right to ask for.

Even odder, it seems that few news sites have elected to report on this subject, perhaps that their continued praise of the iPhone will have Steve "Call me God" Jobs deliver one to them in person for their review purposes. Furthermore, it was revealed back in the end of March of this year that the FBI had entered into a deal with AT&T, Version, and MCI to collect the phone records and details of such of their customers. This back door deal was initially concocted under the guise of National Security to help thwart terrorist threats. Perhaps the feds asked AT&T to start harvesting SIN numbers and attaching said numbers to customer records.

Currently, AT&T is involved in a class action lawsuit for their allowance of the NSA to dig through the private records of their customers.

Furthermore, the US Government has stated in the past that an individuals Social Insurance Number is not to be used for identification purposes. In the early seventies, a study was preformed to weigh both the risks and benefits of treating SIN numbers as both social and commercial entities. It was found that there was no valid commercial use for SIN numbers, and further found that use in this manner could have profound security risks for all parties involved. The US Government has even stated (in the past) on the SIN cards the assign to their citizens that it should not be used for identification purposes. In short; never give out you SIN number.

Unfortunately, many iPhone customers won't give this matter much consideration, presumably because they are so happy to be one of the first 500,000 folks to get their hands on a new toy.

What's next? A blood sample? I gave at the office.