Re: confidential tag numbers

[Eric Maxon <emaxon@megsinet.net>]

Mike Arman wrote:

> Mark Quinn tells us:
>
> >If you live in Maryland or have any friends that do, you/they should
> take
> >CAREFUL NOTE of this.
> >
> >There is a new law now in effect in Maryland (possibly other states?)
>
> >...where ANYONE can pay $2.00 at the MVA and get all the available
> >information on you based on your car tag number.  The MVA is selling
> this
> >info. for profit to private interests and for commercial mailings.
> <snip>
> >
> >Note: if you don't call in and specifically remove your name from the
>
> >general access records then someone could show up at your house some
> >day because they think you took their parking spot (or whatever)!
>
> Here in sunny Florida, they have BLOCKED inquiries into DMV records.
> Seems
> dirtbags with binoculars were standing on overpasses on I-95 and the
> Florida
> Turnpike reading license plate numbers of cars obviously loaded for
> vacations. Next stop was DMV "Who owns ABC-123?", and once they had
> the
> address, they'd go clean out the house!!!!!
>
> Maryland is being very DUMB in allowing this info out on the street
> with no
> safeguards. I agree with Mark - get yourself OFF the "rob me" list!
>
> Ahhh, our government at "work"!!!
>
> Best Regards,
>
> Mike Arman

Here in Illinois, the Secretary of State voluntarily stopped selling
vehicle registration data between Jan 1, 1997 and about 3 months ago, to
anyone but insurance companies and law enforcement agencies-- as a
response to consumer complaints.  The resumed selling the info to any
interested party due to pressure from the direct mail marketing lobby.
To get the data, you still have to promise to remove anyone from your
list that requests this, and promise not to sell/give the data to anyone
else, (most likely to protect the $$$ interests of the secy. of state..
each search costs $200 plus $20/1000 records.)  I probably wouldn't be
too pleased to return from Fla. to find an empty home, but I was quite
pleased, for example, to get the Recycled Bugs catalog, which I'm sure
was sent to me due to having VW's registered in Michigan.  You take the
good with the bad.

Eric.