Functionality creep
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Functionality creep is what occurs when an item, process, or procedure designed for a specific purpose ends up serving another purpose for which it was not intended.
[edit] Example
In the United States, when the Social Security system was created in the early 20th century, each worker was issued a unique, nine digit, Social Security number (SSN). These SSNs were created for the sole purpose of keeping track of a person's contributions to the Social Security System and to determine his or her eligibility for benefits.
SSNs gradually became requested for other non-Social Security related government functions, such as income tax filing and passport issuance, as well as some non-government functions such as tracking credit history, employee ID numbers, and school records. [citation needed]
Due to functionality creep, the fact that each person had a unique SSN ultimately led to the numbers being used as a universal de facto identification number for each person, giving rise to growing concerns among consumers and privacy advocates. They are now frequently used as proof of identity, thus forcing people to keep their social security numbers private. [citation needed]
SSNs were not originally intended to be used for proof of identity. Early Social Security cards, in fact, had the notice printed on them: "Not to be used for identification." Interestingly, the notice was omitted on later editions of the card. Following a number of security breaches of administrative and school computers resulting in large-scale identity theft in 2005, a bill has been enacted which makes the use of SSNs as identifiers of students illegal in many US jursidictions. [citation needed]
[edit] See also
- Creeping featurism, in software development, when a computer program ends up doing more and more.
- Scope creep, in project management, when a project creeps out of its intended scope.
[edit] External links
- functioncreep, a blog covering examples of functionality creep.
