Look at the SSA website. It states clearly that having a SSN is optional. You must apply. Things have been structured to almost guarantee you have to sign up. A drivers license is a privilege not a right. You now have to show a SSN to get a DL. You can't get a bank account. Employers will demand one, etc. The fact is, you are not required to have one and can survive in this world without it but more difficult. Without one the IRS does not know who you are and cannot tax you. Once you get the SSN you become a "federal citizen" and lose your constitutional rights. It is now all being done under the "color of law" to make you think you still have constitutional rights.