This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Washington • The Social Security Administration has rolled back extra security measures on the agency's website after getting complaints from people who had trouble accessing their accounts.
For years, workers and beneficiaries have been able to use the My Social Security website to get information about benefits, logging in with a user name and a password.
On July 30, the agency began requiring people to sign into their account using a one-time code that was sent to them in a text message. This is a common security method used by banks, credit card companies and other financial institutions to fight identity theft.
Social Security has temporarily stopped the requirement after getting complaints. However, people can still request the extra security on a voluntary basis.