Among the many things you probably wouldn’t be counting on happening at the DMV, would be for you to become a monetization tool. It’s about the last thing I think we would anticipate happening when we get our license and register our vehicles. But guess what? Many of those targeted mailers you receive that seem to know your vehicle info, your personal info and a couple of things you have forgotten along the way. It’s not by chance, it’s by payment. From 3rd parties to the Florida DMV buying your info.
According to research from VICE several states have sold personal information from DMV’s and Florida is one of them. Most recently, they found that Florida made $77 million in 2017 selling our information. What information do they sell? Our addresses, dates of births, names, phone numbers, and vehicle information.
This information is used by everyone from warranty and insurance companies to private investigators. Does it seem a bit creepy and a potential violation of public trust? Yeah, I’m with you too. I’m sure there’s some fine print we’ve all ignored allowing this, but it doesn’t quite seem right. State session’s coming up in January, perhaps this is one topic that should be teed up.