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A comment on California DMV Is Selling Drivers' Data to Private Investigators. Parent comment

Re:California DMV Is Selling Drivers' Data to Private Invest... by btilly on Wednesday August 19, 2020 @11:29AM (#24211413)
In theory it is not sold to the public. In practice, it isn't hard for motivated members of the public to figure out how to get access.

I personally know someone who was a victim of stalking back in the 90s. Her stalker managed to find out where she lived by getting it from the California DMV. The only way she found to block it was to move and have her car owned by someone else so that there would be no DMV record.

The result is that while this is not new, it really should be a story.

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Re:California DMV Is Selling Drivers' Data to Private Invest... by giantg2 on Wednesday August 19, 2020 @11:42AM (#24211600)
It's also not that hard to get the information from other sources too.

If your scenario happened in the 90s, it might have been before the DPPA law took effect.

The author has a clear bias and is using an event that took place before the protections were in place to further their agenda.

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Re:California DMV Is Selling Drivers' Data to Private Invest... by btilly on Wednesday August 19, 2020 @12:19PM (#24212142)
It would have been before DPPA.

However social engineers have no problem getting information. And private investigators are easy for anyone to hire. I doubt that the DPPA will slow a dedicated stalker much.

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Re:California DMV Is Selling Drivers' Data to Private Invest... by vajrabum on Wednesday August 19, 2020 @11:46AM (#24211648)
The law restricts the public from getting this information precisely because of stalking. The Drivers Privacy Protection Act was passed in 1994.
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Re:California DMV Is Selling Drivers' Data to Private Invest... by joshuaheard on Thursday August 20, 2020 @06:46PM (#24229908)
California has a similar restriction on real property ownership public records. Private records can still be obtained.
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Re:California DMV Is Selling Drivers' Data to Private Invest... by nikonyrh on Thursday August 20, 2020 @01:24PM (#24225851)
Oddly in Finland the full name, address and phone number corresponding to a car's registration plate is public information. But a full data dump isn't available. You must query them one-by-one for a fee of a few euros (I think).
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