Florida made $62 million by selling Florida drivers' license information

[seafan]

Just. Great.



Michael George from WPTV in West Palm Beach reported:

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.

.....

Through a records request, the I-Team obtained a contract between HSMV and (Texas-based) ShadowSoft, Inc.

In the contract, ShadowSoft agrees it won’t sell the data for illegal purposes, such as marketing or advertising. ShadowSoft pays HSMV $.01 per record they requested. Last year, they paid the state approximately $53,000, amounting to more than 5 million records requested.

.....

On the ShadowSoft affiliated site PublicData.com, all you need to do is pay a fee and check a box stating that you are using the data for legal purposes. A ShadowSoft spokesman tells the I-Team anyone who lies about how they’re using the information could face criminal charges.

The deal with ShadowSoft isn’t unique. HSMV officials say they sell Florida driver’s license info to a total of 10 different companies: Acxiom Information Securities Service, Inc., Choice Point, E-Funds, Explore Information Services, LexisNexis, Line Barge, Goggan, Blair, & Simpson, Inc., SC Services, ShadowSoft, TLO LLC, and West Services Inc.

.....

Oh, that just relieves all of the little people's concerns, doesn't it?

It's just being used by businesses to 'verify customer information'.



And, of course, no one from the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (HSMV) would answer questions on camera.....

[NightWatcher]

1. maybe unrelated, but the week after I got a speeding ticket, I was flooded by traffic school mail

and it kept up for weeks.

It was my first moving violation and I dont know if that's the norm where you live, but I had to guess the traffic schools had to get the information from somewhere. I realize that it became a public record, but does that mean that they mine every traffic ticket everyday or do they get a heads up from the state or local police departments?

[ixion]

2. So all the pomp and BS about requiring your BIRTH CERTIFICATE as proof of ID

is simply so they can provid more accurate marketing leads for their 'customers'.

Welcome to the Corporate Police State.

[The Backlash Cometh]

3. What, exactly, are they selling?

The last time I went to the DMV they asked for everything, including my birth certificate and they scanned it into a machine. So, what, data are they selling?

[spin]

4. Full name, date of birth, address, and driver’s license number -

Florida made $62 million by selling Florida drivers' license information
Posted: 06/22/2011
Michael George, abcactionnews.com

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.

***snip***

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.

***snip***

The department says they do not release photographs or social security numbers, and the data is only sold if the business intends to use them for a legal purpose. The data is not used for marketing or advertising.emphasis added

http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/state/florida-made-$62-million-by-selling-florida-drivers%27-license-information

[seafan]

6. Full name, date of birth, address, driver’s license number, type of car

The company (ShadowSoft) tells us they provide the data to businesses who want to verify their customers’ information. Examples they offered were a hospital trying to track down a patient whose address might have changed, or a business trying to reach a customer to notify them of a product recall.

The department says they do not release photographs or social security numbers, and the data is only sold if the business intends to use them for a legal purpose. The data is not used for marketing or advertising.

Yeah, right.

On the ShadowSoft affiliated site PublicData.com, all you need to do is pay a fee and check a box stating that you are using the data for legal purposes.

Wow, that box-checking carries a 'threat of accountability'. What a relief for the consumer. :eyes:



Link
Link



Particularly in light of the unfolding phone/email hacking crimes of Rupert Murdoch's media empire in Britain and most likely here as well, this kind of #$*@ must stop.

You know, I don't email, however. And there's a reason. I don't want you reading my personal stuff. There has got to be a certain sense of privacy. You know, you're entitled to how I make decisions. And you're entitled to ask questions, which I answer. I don't think you're entitled to be able to read my mail between my daughters and me. -----George W. Bush, April 14, 2005

Link and this Link

This rampant data mining is just another piece of the lasting, poisonous legacy of right wing thievery over the past 30 years, accelerated by the Supreme Court in 2000.

[Blue_Tires]

5. so much for republicans and respect for personal privacy