Ohio Selling Personal Data Too Cheap

(Columbus, Ohio) It's a given that the State of Ohio sells the names, addresses, driver's license numbers and other personal data of Ohioans for cash. The process has been in place since at least 2005 and the state has collected millions.

In all candor, this is news to me and quite troubling. Under what provision of the Constitution does it say that government is in the business of collecting personal information and selling it for cash or profit? And, how soon after the government takes over health care is the government going to sell medical records?

Now I know that privacy laws exist with regard to medical records but I don't trust government bureaucracies since they have a demonstrated history of applying the law selectively.

Nevertheless, despite my complaints and concerns, Ohioans' personal data files are being sold and thus far the only controversy seems to be how much to charge.

The state of Ohio has collected millions of dollars selling records with your name, address, driver's license number and other personal information so it can be used in all sorts of ways, from crafting insurance policies to screening job candidates.

Since 2005, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles has sold more than 1.39 trillion records containing personal information to various companies, municipalities and other customers for about $42 million, according to state records.

Most of those records sold for a fraction of a penny each -- $0.00139 to be exact.[…]

Anne Vitale, a staff attorney for the Ohio BMV, said legislative action would be required to increase the $0.00139 cost for the driver's license, vehicle registration and title records.

"We would love to be able to charge" more, Vitale said.

An attorney wants to charge more. Heh, imagine that. Well, okay, let's get it started, Ms. Vitale. Here's a deal -- I'll send you a nickel which is 35 times the going rate and you send me all your personal data. Sure, it's symbolic but the longest journey starts with the first step.

One last thing, I believe that transactions pertaining to my personal data should end with me being paid, not the State of Ohio. Of course, that will never happen.

In any event, I'd much prefer that it be illegal for the government to sell my personal data without my permission, granted only after I'm notified of the name of the purchaser, the intended use and the price offered. There should be a law.