• Why do we need your Social Security Number?
We request your Social Security Number (SSN) and Date of Birth (DoB) during the registration process only to authenticate who you are. The information you provide is compared with your information in the AKO Enterprise Dictionary Database (EDD), and the information is used solely to verify that you are authorized to have an AKO account. This data is already in the EDD and the Secretary of the Army is authorized to use the data for verification purposes. Your SSN will be stored with your account when it is created, but it is not shared with any other agency or organization, it is not part of your user name, and it is used only as a discriminator during multiple identity instances.
• Is it safe?
Security during registration is ensured using a 128-bit Secure Socket Layer (SSL) connection. This is the highest industry standard and establishes an encrypted session between your computer and AKO. We use the same technology that other major companies operating on the World Wide Web (WWW) use to protect personal information and guard against identity theft. Look for the little yellow padlock at the bottom of your browser window to ensure that you have established a secure connection. There are no alternate means of registration as this is the most secure method of protecting your information.
• Authority: 10 U.S.C. Section 3013, Secretary of the Army; Army Regulation 25-1, Army Information Management; Army Regulation 380-19, Information Systems Security; E.O. 9397 (SSN).
• Principal Purpose: This information will be used to verify the identity of eligible users of the Army Knowledge Online (AKO) system.
• Routine Uses: None. The "Blanket Routine Uses" set forth at the beginning of the Army's Compilation of Systems of Record Notices also applies to this system.
• Disclosure: Voluntary. However, failure to provide the requested information will result in denial of access to the AKO system.