Comment by etskinner

That's presumably the default in the US too, but the workaround is for companies to have you agree to some fine print, which nobody reads. When you request a mortgage quote, submit a job application, submit a credit card application, etc., they just bury in there "you're agreeing give us permission to use your SSN to verify the information you've given" and they're golden.

The only way around would be some regulation like GDPR, but then we end up with something like cookie banners that are only annoying and don't give you a reasonable option to opt out. Just like if you want to get a mortgage, you can't opt out if every single lender does it.