Politech mailing list archives
FC: Journalists endorse public review of driver licenses
From: Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>
Date: Mon, 25 Oct 1999 13:17:51 -0400
[This is an interesting issue because it pits two important principles against each other: Open government and privacy. Certainly not all government records about individuals should be open to the public (think tax returns), and this is probably an area where reasonable people can disagree. But SPJ's position is also reasonable, so open-government privacy advocates might suggest reducing driver licensing in the first place. --DBM] ******* [From Computer Privacy Digest Sun, 24 Oct 99] Wednesday, October 6, 1999 OPEN DRIVERS LICENSE RECORDS TO ALL A Report From The SPJ Convention by Mark Fitzgerald INDIANAPOLIS - Anyone should be able to examine drivers licenses and records, the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) declared yesterday. In a resolution approved unanimously at its 90th annual convention, SPJ opposes proposals to give news organizations access to drivers records that the general public would not have. Congress recently amended the federal Drivers Privacy Protection Act to forbid states from releasing personal information on drivers' records without the permission of the individual license holder. The amendment grants exceptions to employers, insurance companies, direct marketers, and other businesses. Keeping drivers records public helps safety, SPJ argues. The examination of motor vehicle records by the media and the general public provides a public service by evaluating the driving history of school bus drivers, mass transit drivers, airline pilots, emergency medical technicians, and other persons involved in the transportation and protection of others, the resolution states. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- the moderated mailing list of politics and technology To subscribe: send a message to majordomo () vorlon mit edu with this text: subscribe politech More information is at http://www.well.com/~declan/politech/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------
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- FC: Journalists endorse public review of driver licenses Declan McCullagh (Oct 25)