If you work with motor vehicle records, you’ve heard about the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (DPPA), a United States federal statute designed to protect licensed drivers’ personal identifiable information from improper use or disclosure. But what is the DPPA exactly, and what makes it so important?
How Did the DPPA Come to Exist?
The history of the DPPA is a dark one. Many of the reasons this statute was necessary involved the sale of personal information, stalking, robbery, and multiple cases of murder. The most notable case was the murder of 21-year-old actress Rebecca Schaeffer.
Shaeffer was the victim of Robert John Bardo, a serial stalker who targeted multiple young women in the late ’80s. Bardo hired a private investigator who provided him Schaeffer’s home address, which the investigator found via the California DMV. On July 18, 1989, Bardo used this information to murder Schaeffer in her home.
As a result of this incident, and many others like it, federal law regarding the release of personal information through the DMV was changed to provide more safety to individuals. The bill was incorporated into the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, and signed into law in September 1994.
What Protected Information Is Covered Under the DPPA?
Under the DPPA, all states are required to safeguard personal information in an individual’s motor vehicle record, such as:
Information on vehicular accidents, driving violations, and driver’s status are matters of public record, so they’re not protected under the DPPA.
What Are the Permissible Uses of Protected Information?
DPPA rules apply to DMVs as well as other authorized recipients of personal information. The act also imposes standards for recordkeeping on those authorized recipients. There are 14 permissible uses for this information:
Using personal information outside of these permissible uses can result in criminal fines, civil penalties, and civil action against the offender.
How Does ADD Ensure DPPA Compliance?
As a company that deals with sensitive information, we make it our mission to ensure that every customer adheres to DPPA-permissible uses. Maintaining our integrity as a reliable and state-compliant source of sensitive information is paramount to our daily operations.
So how do we make sure our users are DPPA compliant?
If a user violates the DPPA, their ADD account will be terminated.
The DPPA is a crucial federal statute designed to safeguard individuals' personal information, and its history is rooted in the need to prevent misuse and protect public safety. As a company, we prioritize DPPA compliance to ensure that personal information is used only for authorized purposes, and we take violations very seriously.
If you suspect a violation of the DPPA, you may contact your state DMV or the appropriate law enforcement agency to report the incident.