A report released Monday accuses the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) of selling driver data for tens of millions of dollars.
A November 25 report from VICE found that the California DMV had routinely sold driver data like names, addresses and vehicle registration information to commercial groups who requested it.
The dollar amount paid by the commercial groups increased from $41.5 million in 2013-2014 to $52.6 million in 2017-2018, VICE says.
The commercial groups requesting driver information is believed to include insurance companies, vehicle manufacturers, and prospective employers.
California DMV public information officer Marty Greenstein told VICE that “the DMV takes its obligation to protect personal information very seriously. 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. The DMV also audits requesters to ensure proper audit logs are maintained and that employees are trained in the protection of DMV information and anyone having access to this information sign a security document.”