Sunday, August 21, 2011

FL govt sells personal info on citizens for $63M


Wanna buy some personal data?

The State of Florida is selling citizens' personal information to a data-mining company for $63 million. Legally. We're not kidding.

The UK Daily Mail reports
The state of Florida made $63million last year by selling personal details of drivers filed with the DMV – and it’s all perfectly legal.
Names, addresses, dates of birth and the types of vehicle they drive are all being sold for a tidy profit to companies as long as they promise not to harass anyone, claims Miami’s Local 10 news.

Lexus Nexus and Shadow Soft are among the firms that reportedly pay for the information many people would consider confidential.
Isn't that lovely?

The ACLU has been trying to stop the practice but hasn't had any luck.
Weeks ago, we sent Governor Scott's office a letter asking that he order the DHSMV to stop the mass sale of personal driver's license information to private corporations. These companies can re-sell it, leaving Floridians with little assurance that their personally-identifying information will be used appropriately or legally by future buyers.
So far, despite growing public outrage and news reports across the state on the dangerous policy, our request has been ignored.
We're curious: How is it that Pink Slip Rick's administration can sell detailed personal information about every Floridian who has a driver's license, but can't find the governor's own emails?

If you live in Florida, here's what you can do: Send a message to Gov. Rick Scott telling him to stop. Just click here.