this post was submitted on 15 Aug 2024
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It's just a form of national identification number. It's assigned at birth, and is used as a means to legally identify an individual for government purposes (taxes, benefits, acquiring licenses and other forms of identification). They exist in Europe as well, they are just called something different than SSN. Not every country uses them, though.
Not assigned "at birth," assigned when you or your parents apply for one. That normally, these days, happens shortly after birth, but it has not always been that way, and it is not an obligation.
That is fair, I gave an over-simplification. But generally it will be part of the overall process.