TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A bill that aimed to stop the state from selling drivers’ personal information will not move forward this year after it died in the Florida House on Friday.
The proposed Motor Vehicle Operator Privacy Bill sought to restrict the sale or sharing of certain driver information — including names, addresses and email addresses — with third-party companies.
The situation is raising concerns for some drivers.
“Yeah, that’s horrible,” one driver said. “It’s like, no — that’s my privacy. My information should be for me only.”
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According to the bill’s sponsor, certain driver information can be shared or sold to third parties. That includes details such as names, addresses, driver’s license numbers, crash history, organ donor status and more.
Some drivers said they were surprised to learn their information could be shared.
“That’s pretty surprising. That’s actually quite scary,” another driver said. “Why are they able to sell our information, and who needs it?”
Florida Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman, R-District 91, filed the bill last year and stated that for more than 15 years, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles has operated data-sharing agreements that have generated more than $490 million from selling driver information without explicit consent.
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That revelation has left some drivers feeling uneasy.
“I would like to be told, yes, absolutely,” one driver said. “It seems like an invasion.”
Others say they hope lawmakers revisit the issue in the future.
“I don’t want my information everywhere,” another driver said. “It’s not fair. It’s not good.”
For now, it’s unclear if lawmakers will bring the proposal back in a future legislative session, but some drivers say they hope the issue is discussed again so restrictions can eventually be put in place.