I don't understand all this driver license snooping

[question everything]

What can one possibly find: it has name, address, age, height and weight. If one is a public figure, most of it is known.

Why would anyone snoop and how does one even know that his/her license was viewed?

[defacto7]

1. From what I know

and I'm not from your state, anyone can buy drivers license information from the DMV. In the states that I've lived, it's considered public info and the DMV will not take issue with it if someone or some company wants to buy a lot of a thousand, ten thousand whatever. You are not informed if it's given out and you can't request that it not be sold. In most states, it also includes your SS# or even the license itself can include your SS#.

I've been through this with the DMV in Oregon, Washington, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut. This was between 10 and 15 years ago so I don't know if anything has changed.

[darkangel218]

2. wow i had no idea DL info were up for sale

Thats fuct up.

[defacto7]

3. When I found out from the DMV in Washington,

it was one of the biggest WTF moments for me ever. I was stunned. When I got licenses in different states I have always asked about it. Same answer.

[darkangel218]

4. on edit, here is what i found re my own state:

TAMPA - Few Florida citizens realize it, but your personal information is for sale. The State of Florida has been selling driver’s license information to businesses for years, and the courts have ruled there is nothing illegal about it.

I-Team investigator Michael George caught up with Tampa resident Larry Brindley when he was getting a copy of his driving record at the local Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (HSMV) office. He had already been waiting in line for two and a half hours.

When George asked him if he would be willing to show our cameras his personal information on his driver’s license, he said what most of us would say. “No," Brindley answered, "because it’s my personal information.”

What Larry may not realize is that his information is already out there, on several websites. Almost everything that’s on his driver’s license -- full name, date of birth, address, and driver’s license number -- is online. The state sells millions of Florida drivers’ personal information to companies like Texas-based ShadowSoft, Inc.

http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/state/florida-made-$62-million-by-selling-florida-drivers'-license-information

[defacto7]

5. Toldja

[question everything]

12. Apparently it has. See 11, below

Yes, I remember using my SS# as the number of the driver license. Was easy to remember. But this practice stopped, with all the identity thefts.

[SheilaT]

6. Frankly, I lie about my weight on my DL.

Doesn't everyone?

[darkangel218]

7. Nope.

No weight on DL in FL

[SheilaT]

8. Wow.

Evey state I've lived in as an adult -- six so far -- wants to know my weight on my driver's license.

[darkangel218]

9. Not here.

Also, we are not required to have an yearly vehicle inspection, like some other states do either.

[question everything]

10. That's a given

[Randomthought]

11. Your DL file contains other info

Your former addresses and names, your social security number, all of the photos and driving records.
It is against federal law to access driver's license records without cause.
About the Driver's Privacy Protection Act:
The Driver's Privacy Protection Act of 1994, Title XXX of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, is a United States federal statute governing the privacy and disclosure of personal information gathered by state Departments of Motor Vehicles. The law was passed in 1994; it was introduced by Rep. Jim Moran in 1992, after an increase in opponents of abortion rights using public driving license databases to track down and harass abortion providers and patients, most notably besieging Susan Wicklund's home for a month and following her daughter to school.[1] It is currently codified at Chapter 123 of Title 18 of the United States Code.[2]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driver%27s_Privacy_Protection_Act

[question everything]

13. Thank you. This is why someone sue and got millions

Still, I don't understand why government employees do feel the need to snoop. They are the only ones that can access this information.

[defacto7]

14. That sounds like good news,

But according to the DMV and advertisers that do it, it's still happening. That would mean that the law is being ignored, someone is lying and/or DMV workers don't know. I would imagine the loophole would be "without cause". I wonder how widely that word can be interpreted?

[Randomthought]

15. difference is list vs. file

A list with name, address and DL number is public info. The file with much more info is not. Remember when our DL number was our Social Security number? That was changed to give us some protection against identity theft.

[defacto7]

16. OK, got it!

[Thor_MN]

17. If Minnesota ever used SSN for DL number it was before 1978.

It used to be encoded based on your name and address. I have the same name as my dad and our DL numbers differed by less than three digts. It was changed not that long ago such that the DL was different every time one renewed.

[Randomthought]

18. I moved here in 1982

I seem to remember it being part of the DL number but I could be wrong. I moved here from Illinois and may have my states confused

[Thor_MN]

19. May have been Illinois.

I got my MN DL about 1978, and I have never had my SSN on my license.

[the_sly_pig]

20. The DL number is the gateway to more personal information

Run a license plate to get the registered owner. Registered owners have a DL. Run the DL to get a synopsis of criminal history and address.

It's not really snooping by government employees, although there are government employees that wish for certain information to be hidden (and I'm not talking about the front line clerks behind the counter).

With the right clearance you can tie into both the DMV and the BCA; abuse of that privilege can lead to problems. The DMV information is not to be used to look up old girlfriends or classmates.

Criminal histories, protection orders; the unethical can use these systems information to dig up dirt.