Florida DMV sells personal info to private companies, marketing firms • Hacker News Board

Re: Florida DMV sells personal info to private companies, marketing firms

#31

Post by mschuster91 » Mon, Jul 15, 2019, 12:08 PM UTC

Tepix wrote: post #15

_Codemonkeyism wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many European countries are the same, e.g. governments made sure GDPR doesn't apply to them. For example in Germany government sells data.

What data are you referring to? Is it comparable to this personal data?

There's multiple levels of data transfer at play:

1. Melderegisterauskunft: everyone can ask at the local city government for the current address of a specific person. This isn't free though, it costs (I believe) something about 10-20€ per request.

2. Political parties can get information on electorate: https://www.service-bw.de/leistung/-/sbw/Melderegisterauskun...

3. The GEZ (funding administrators for public television) automatically get all data of persons whenever they move

4. Military gets personal data automatically (we don't have compulsory service anymore, though)

Re: Florida DMV sells personal info to private companies, marketing firms

#32

Post by sneak » Mon, Jul 15, 2019, 12:10 PM UTC

I’m not sure about Florida, but many states also make it illegal to not put your actual, honest, this-is-where-I-sleep-every-night residence address on your DL/ID card, too, making this doubly bad, as they then publicize data that is directly relevant to the physical safety of yourself and your family.

Avoiding it is illegal.

Re: Florida DMV sells personal info to private companies, marketing firms

#33

Post by ehnto » Mon, Jul 15, 2019, 12:14 PM UTC

mackman wrote: post #14

The Massachusetts RMV does the same thing and I was unable to find a way to opt out. You can’t drive a car without giving up your personal data to be sold to anyone who pays the RMV. So much junk mail.

That's what bothers me most, it's sold for such a junk purpose. Your privacy is bartered off for cents so that a company can spam you with products you'll never buy. If we put half as much effort into bettering the world as we do building the advertising machine we would be a utopia.

Re: Florida DMV sells personal info to private companies, marketing firms

#34

Post by ehnto » Mon, Jul 15, 2019, 12:16 PM UTC

jedberg wrote: post #28

Jim- wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

FWIW, I've had a similar experience. So I was curious who sold my information and did some digging (was it my realtor, insurance agent, or title agent?). I asked each of them, they all denied it, but told me: When you buy a house, all your info is public information on your county's website (most up to date counties). Unfortunately, I don't think you can stop them from publishing that information and having bots scra…

Most counties redact your name from their public website. But they don’t actually need that anyway. Your credit report has the address of the house and how much you owe on the mortgage. And the credit agencies will sell your info to anyone.

There are also call center programs that call specifically to fill in those details. You answer, they ask who they are speaking to, then click, they're gone.

Re: Florida DMV sells personal info to private companies, marketing firms

#35

Post by mattmanser » Mon, Jul 15, 2019, 12:24 PM UTC

chopin wrote: post #30

Tepix wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What data are you referring to? Is it comparable to this personal data?

In Germany, you are required to be registered where you live. The authority collecting this data (Einwohnermeldeamt) is allowed to reveal parts of this data (addresses) to requesting parties for a fee and under some restricting circumstances (you can opt out, see https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bmg/__44.html ).

In the UK we have the open electoral roll, which you can opt out of.

Worse still, companies such as Experian and Equifax have open access to the full register.

Re: Florida DMV sells personal info to private companies, marketing firms

#36

Post by fizgig » Mon, Jul 15, 2019, 12:32 PM UTC

totalrobe wrote: post #17

NC does the same thing. And if you buy a house, expect to receive endless junk mail disguised as mortgage documentation.

This has happened in every state I've ever lived. I had always assumed it was the Post Office that was responsible.

Re: Florida DMV sells personal info to private companies, marketing firms

#37

Post by TuringNYC » Mon, Jul 15, 2019, 12:32 PM UTC

Jim- wrote: post #21

totalrobe wrote: post #17

NC does the same thing. And if you buy a house, expect to receive endless junk mail disguised as mortgage documentation.

FWIW, I've had a similar experience. So I was curious who sold my information and did some digging (was it my realtor, insurance agent, or title agent?). I asked each of them, they all denied it, but told me: When you buy a house, all your info is public information on your county's website (most up to date counties). Unfortunately, I don't think you can stop them from publishing that information and having bots scra…

There is some value in a public record of whom owns what land. Minimally it would create stronger property rights where things can’t be sold twice over like they are in other countries. One might also want to know if the owners are foreign entities.

Of course wealthier owner get around this: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/08/nyregion/stream-of-foreig...

Re: Florida DMV sells personal info to private companies, marketing firms

#38

Post by JoeAltmaier » Mon, Jul 15, 2019, 12:36 PM UTC

Been happening for decades. When I got my driver's license (in the 1980's) in Iowa, they misspelled my name - Soseph instead of Joseph. I asked for a corrected license. They typed up another one but didn't go back and correct the record.

So, I got solicitations in the mail for months for Soseph Altmaier. And that was before computers were used much.

Re: Florida DMV sells personal info to private companies, marketing firms

#39

Post by driverdan » Mon, Jul 15, 2019, 12:43 PM UTC

totalrobe wrote: post #17

NC does the same thing. And if you buy a house, expect to receive endless junk mail disguised as mortgage documentation.

Real estate transactions are public records. Companies monitor for sales and market to the new buyers. The same happens when you start a company. The company registration is a public record.

Re: Florida DMV sells personal info to private companies, marketing firms

#40

Post by dragonwriter » Mon, Jul 15, 2019, 12:48 PM UTC

smt88 wrote: post #25

Jim- wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

FWIW, I've had a similar experience. So I was curious who sold my information and did some digging (was it my realtor, insurance agent, or title agent?). I asked each of them, they all denied it, but told me: When you buy a house, all your info is public information on your county's website (most up to date counties). Unfortunately, I don't think you can stop them from publishing that information and having bots scra…

Large, secured loans are recorded in public ledgers by law. I believe the motivation was to prevent people from going around and securing multiple loans with the same asset, before credit-scoring agencies existed.

> Large, secured loans are recorded in public ledgers by law.

That's not true of “large, secured loans” in general.

OTOH, it is true of certain real property interests, including those of both owners and secured lenders; this is about the size of a secured loan, it's about clarity of title to real estate.