IP: Drivers Photo Disclosure

[Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

Citing Continuing Privacy Threats,
ACLU Calls for Hearings on Government Databases


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:
Thursday, February 18, 1999 Emily Whitfield, New York National Office
(212) 549-2566 or (917) 686-4542
Jennifer Helburn, Washington National Office
(202) 675-2328

WASHINGTON--Following revelations that the U.S. Secret Service funded a
private company's efforts to develop a national database of driver's
license photographs, the American Civil Liberties Union today called on
the government to protect -- not prostitute -- Americans' privacy.

According to news reports, Congress authorized nearly $1.5 million in
federal funds and technical assistance to Image Data LLC of New
Hampshire in the hopes that the photo files could be used by law
enforcement to combat terrorism, immigration abuses and other "identity
crimes."

"The biggest ‘identity crime' taking place right now is the government
masquerading as our privacy protectors," said Laura W. Murphy, Director
of the ACLU's Washington National Office. "Not only is the government
abusing access to our personal information, but it is funding private
efforts to do the same and worse."

Murphy called on Congress to strengthen the loophole-ridden 1994
Drivers' Privacy Protection Act, which is failing to prevent states from
selling or disclosing personal information about drivers without their
consent.  The Act has been under attack recently in the courts by states
including Alabama, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Wisconsin, all of whom
seek the power to sell this information without federal control.

In a letter sent yesterday to congressional leaders of the Government
Reform Committee, the ACLU and other groups concerned about personal
privacy called for hearings on the civil liberties threats to privacy
posed by the "abuse and authorized misuse of federal databases."

"We are concerned about proposals that the federal government use
database information, initially gathered for one purpose, for completely
unrelated purposes, without the consent of the person to whom the data
relates," the groups said.

Earlier this month, ACLU affiliates in Florida, South Carolina and
Colorado criticized officials of those states for selling residents'
driver's license information to Image Data. In Florida, the ACLU
prevailed on the governor to cancel the state's contract with Image
Data; Colorado's governor is seeking to do the same.  In a statement
issued today, the ACLU of Florida called on the legislature to go a step
further and repeal the amendment that permits the transfer of personal
information.

In South Carolina, a judge last week rejected the state's attempt to
halt the sale on privacy grounds.  The state is appealing that
decision.  Meanwhile, a South Carolina woman has filed a class-action
suit against the state, saying that residents' privacy rights were
violated.

Barry Steinhardt, Associate Director of the ACLU, said that Image
Data's claims that the driver's license data would be used only for a
limited purpose may lay the company open to charges of fraud.

"It is clear that congressional lawmakers were anticipating all sorts

of uses for the information that were never communicated to the state
officials providing the data," he said. "It is also clear that federal
law enforcement officials were rubbing their hands in anticipation of a
private data bonanza."

Steinhardt noted that the state officials sold thousands of driver's
licenses files without informed consent for only a penny per record.
"For the government to prostitute our private information is bad
enough," he said.  "And to charge only a penny for our privacy adds
insult to injury."

-end-








________________________________________________________
Barry Steinhardt                                212 549 2508 (v)
Associate Director                              212 549 2656 (f)
American Civil Liberties Union          Barrys () aclu org
125 Broad Street
New York, NY 10004                              http://www.aclu.org