Posted on 09/09/2019 2:32:00 PM PDT by gattaca
As citizens in the digital age, we deal with so many privacy scandals and data breaches that entire books could be filled with stories about them. And it's not just high profile individuals anymore, either. Between Yahoo's billions-strong security hack or Facebook's Cambridge Analytica debacle, nearly everyone you know has probably suffered a privacy breach at some point recently.
Thanks to recent reports, it's becoming even more clear that you or someone you know has likely had their data accessed without their explicit permission. Only this time, the culprits aren't criminals or hackers on the internet, but ordinary bureaucrats at agencies nearly every American depends on.
In shocking new reports, multiple DMVs across the country were caught red-handed selling the personal data from driver license applications to third parties. Not only has this information changed hands numerous times without applicants knowing, but it's also netted these DMVs millions of dollars along the way. Here's why they're doing it, as well as what it means for your privacy.
Private eyes get priority access to DMV information According to an explosive new report from Vice, Departments of Motor Vehicles in states across the country have been selling the personal information of drivers to third parties. Most of these entities are businesses, but the most notable buyers happen to be private investigators, who often start with contacting the DMV when they begin investigating an individual.
For their reporting, Vice obtained hundreds of pages of documents from these DMVs via public records, which revealed that names and addresses are among some of the most commonly accessed data by third parties.
In response to the reporting, DMVs implicated in the stories stated that license photographs and Social Security numbers are not among the data they had granted third parties access to. Gee, thanks.
How is this even legal? Most people apply for licenses and car registration under the assumption that the DMV is the only organization with access to their information, and perhaps local and state governments as well.
It's also not illogical to assume that law enforcement such as highway patrol or parking enforcement may want access to these records. As a society of laws, most of us make a tacit assumption that police will have access to this information in some form, and we've mostly accepted this as part and parcel of daily life.
But private investigators that track individuals for profit are an entirely different story, as are third-party companies. Surprisingly, however, the letter of the law explicitly allows this kind of exchange of information thanks to the signing of the Driver's Privacy Protection Act (DPPA) during the 1990s.
While it was originally intended to limit access to DMV records exclusively to certified individuals like law enforcement, private investigators, and other related entities, the law was crafted before privacy became the cultural monolith that it is today.
As for the DMV, being an already underfunded chain of bureaucracies, the sale of private data is a massive bonus to their operations budget. One specific branch even reported making more than $77 million on the sale of private data in 2017 alone.
What can be done to keep my driver data private in the future Being that these organizations operate in tandem with state and local governments, the solution to this situation is more political than personal.
A number of senators and congresspeople have already proposed amending or changing the DPPA to reflect modern attitudes towards privacy, although it's currently unlikely that a bipartisan consensus will be reached any time soon on the matter.
In light of other recent privacy scandals such as Cambridge Analytica, however, ranking members of congress have taken a closer look at some of the practices of organizations like state DMVs, with Senator Ron Wyden explicitly calling for "[closing] loopholes that are being abused to spy on Americans."
What you can do in the meantime, however, is focus on cleaning up some of the other excess data floating around about you on the web.
If DMV data is only restricted to a few points of information, it will be worth your while to remove any additional data about you so it's much less easy for investigators to know your whole life's story. Click or tap for our guide on how to remove your personal data from people finder sites.
Remove your personal data and opt out of data broker sites -- here's how "People search" websites are a booming business, but the people behind them are only able to get away with what they do by allowing people to "opt out" of having their data collected. The trick is knowing which platforms to look for, as well as how to remove yourself from them. That's why we've put together our guide to delete your information from data brokering platforms, as well as the best ways to prevent them from skimming your profiles in the future. You have a right to privacy, after all. It's time you exercised it.
Click or tap to take your privacy back.
Its even the (R) scum in Tallahassee doing this to me.
DMV has no business with my SSN. But you cant get license or tag without surrendering SSN info.
I don’t worry about private individuals nearly as much as government agencies.
They’ve been doing this for over 30 years.
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Facefart is among the worst when it comes to selling you personal data. It's made Zuckerberg a billionaire. Fight back by ceasing to use FB. Doesn't do you any good to delete your info. They say it's been deleted but it's not.
Just stop giving your info to FB. Just quit. Log out and be done with it.
My wife filed for an assumed name at the county court house and now she gets spam calls from everywhere imaginable.
BASTARDS!
Don’t tell me money is involved!
I don’t worry about private individuals nearly as much as government agencies.
Have you noticed that these bills do the exact opposite of what they are called?
Note, even after the cash influx, they still want to raise taxes.
Most of these entities are businesses, but the most notable buyers happen to be private investigators, who often start with contacting the DMV when they begin investigating an individual. For their reporting, Vice obtained hundreds of pages of documents from these DMVs via public records, which revealed that names and addresses are among some of the most commonly accessed data by third parties.
This will help the Demwits get the illegals who have been issued drivers licenses registered to vote.
Illegals in CA probably don’t have to provide one.
After a threatening legal letter from the legal department of the DMV for stealing someone else ID. It took me three months fix it. I had to go to the SS office to verify my number and send that to the DMV after all kinds of other problems.
“Have you noticed that these bills do the exact opposite of what they are called? “
Have you noticed on robo-call controls, the worst offenders are the politicians and the politicians put themselves at NUMBER ONE when they consider stopping unwanted calls.
“Wait until a DMV employee types in your SSN wrong into the DMV computer.”
I would have made my elected politician deal with it. They have staffers I PAY FOR. Let them fix govt staff screw ups.
We need a Constitutional amendment removing the cruel and unusual punishment protection from government officials, hired and elected.
Recently a friend phoned me very upset. She had been in a minor bicycle accident. The police wanted her to go to a hospital. When she said she didn’t need to the officer asked for her drivers license. Then he scanned it. My friend was shocked to discover that her medical records were now attached to her recently renewed driver’s license. She said when I renew in 2020 they will also have my medical records. Do I want them to know about my state of vision when I am careful to only drive when the roads are quiet and do it slowly and with full attention. No cell phones/texting, etc.
I am politically active and this is the first I have heard about this new assault on our privacy without even telling us about it. A nearby state is now informing residents that they have a deadline to get these new licenses.
Have you heard of this? What can we do about it? All I can say is “NUTS.”
DMV sells to supermarkets too. I read this over a decade ago in what was called a newspaper (barely exist now). They want to know who and where their customers are coming from. Now they use your bank and credit cards.
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