APPLETON, Wis (WFRV) When you head to the DMV to renew your drivers license, you might not think about what happens to your personal information.
Turns out that information is worth money and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) has been making millions by selling it, but you can Opt Out.
WisDOT earned roughly $18 million in 2018 by selling your personal identifying information like your name, address, or telephone number.
WisDOT provided certain driver information to the following companies:
Broker Volume: Insurance Information Exchange, Safety Holdings, HireRight Solutions, Inc., TML Information Services, Inc., Datalink Services, Inc., Explore Driving Records, LLC, Driver History Information
Monitoring: Insurance Information Exchange, Explore Informational Services
Driver Record Header File: Driver History Information, Explore Information Services, Insurance Information Exchange (IIX), Lexis Nexis, Acxiom, Early Warning Services, LLC, TransUnion, West Services (Thomson Reuters)
Under Wisconsin’s open records laws, WisDOT must provide information from its records to requesters.
You can ask the state to withhold your name and address from certain companies by completing Form MV3592.
WisDOT provided the following response: “The money is deposited into the protected Transportation Fund. These funds may only be used for transportation related purposes and are not allocated to the DMV operating budget”.
Wisconsin DMV says they directly inform customers that their information may be sold in the following instances and that they may Opt Out:
- All vehicle registration renewal post cards currently include this information about data disclosures and reflects the customer’s Opt in/Out status: “If the Opt Out box appears on this renewal, you may remove your name(s) from mailing lists that contain 10 or more individual names by checking the box. If the Opt In appears on this renewal, check it if you wish to add your names(s) to these mailing lists.”
This Wisconsin DMV Privacy Notice web page provides details on what information can and cannot be shared.
