California’s DMV makes $50m a year selling driver’s personal information to credit checkers, data brokers and even private investigators hunting cheating spouses
- In the 2017/2018 year the California DMV made $52,000 from sale of data
- Data sold includes names, dates of birth and other personal information
- Among those buying information are private investigation firms
California's Department of Motor Vehicles is selling drivers' personal information for around $50,000 a year - some of which may be used to spy on cheating spouses.
Figures released via a public record act request showed that the total revenue from the sale of such information has been climbing steadily in the past six years.
The document, related to the California branch of the DMV, did not show who had requested the information. But a previous Vice report found that these could include data brokers, credit agencies and private investigators.
The information, obtained by Vice's Motherboard team, showed that in the 2013/2014 financial year revenue was $41,562,735 and has climbed steadily each year to $52,048.236 in the 2017/2018 year.
DMVs across the United States sell data that drivers provide when asking for a license from the organization. This information includes their names, physical addresses and information on car registration.
A view of the outside of the California Department of Motor Vehicles office in the Arleta neighborhood of Los Angeles. The California branch gets revenue of around $50,000 each year from the sale of drivers' personal information
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People fill out forms at a local DMV branch. California's DMV makes around $50,000 a year on the sale of the information people provide when obtaining a license
Public information officer at California DMV Marty Greenstein told Motherboard that those buying the data included insurance companies, vehicle makers and potential future employers.
He said the selling of such data was about ensuring highway and public safety, including the availability of insurance, risk assessments, vehicle safety recalls, background checks and employment screening.
A stalker managed to obtain actress Rebecca Schaeffer's personal data via a private investigator who accessed her driver record. The stalker went on to kill actress Rebecca Schaeffer in 1989 - prompting a review and the introduction of the Driver's Privacy Protection Act in 1994
'The DMV takes its obligation to protect personal information very seriously,' he said.
'Information is only released pursuant to legislative direction and the DMV continues to review its release practices to ensure information is only released to authorized persons/entities and only for authorized purposes.'
Legislation to tighten access to such data was imposed in 1994 after a case in California where a private investigator was said to have been hired by a stalker.
The stalker went on to kill actress Rebecca Schaeffer in 1989 - prompting a review and the introduction of the Driver's Privacy Protection Act in 1994.
The act is meant to restrict access to DMV data, but there remains a number of exemptions - including for private investigators.
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