Learn, Do, Secure
Northeastern Illinois University has an obligation to protect the data it holds about individuals from the time of collection to disposal. Social Security Numbers (SSNs) are some of the data the University collects and processes to carry out its operations. It is important to safeguard SSN information against unauthorized access and limit unnecessary dissemination to reduce the possibility of identity theft.
To achieve this, the University has instituted its Identity Protection Policy to fulfill the requirements of the Identity Protection Act (5 ILCS 179/1, et seq.). The purpose of the policy is to comply with the State of Illinois and federal regulations related to the collection, use, or disclosure of SSNs as defined by the Identity Protection Act (5 ILCS 179/1, et seq.). The Identity Protection Act requires each local and state government agency to draft, approve, and implement an Identity-Protection Policy to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of SSNs the agencies collect, maintain, and use.
To support all employees who handle SSNs in complying with the Identity Protection Act requirements for handling SSNs, the University has developed some training slides on Identity Protection. This training is mandatory.
My responsibility
All employees who handle SSNs to carry out their job functions play an important role and are responsible for keeping SSNs secure, from authorized access and misuse. To carry out this responsibility, employees are required to:
- Read and comply with the Identity Protection Policy,
- Complete the Identity Protection Training,
- Report any incident relating to unauthorized access or misuse of SSNs immediately to ServiceDesk@neiu.edu.
For questions about the training, please contact uinfosec@neiu.edu.
