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Legislation intended to protect the privacy of drivers' records could cut off a valuable resource for journalists as well as restrict information that some believe should be public.
Two bills, introduced simultaneously in the Senate by Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and in the House by Jim Moran (D-Va.), would prohibit citizens from obtaining such information as names, addresses and driving records of others simply by giving a license plate number to a state motor vehicles division.
DO LAWS AID STALKERS?
The legislators said 32 states permit such access, which can be and has been abused by stalkers and others with malicious intent.
Boxer and Moran said their bills are designed to protect the privacy and safety of individuals.
But opponents of the measure point out that the bills allow exemptions for access by "legitimate" businesses and government agencies.
Exemptions include federal and state court actions; auto and driver safety measures, such as recall by an automaker; "normal course of business by a legitimate business," such as an insurance company, but only to verify information; and marketing activities, although drivers have the right to request that their information not be disclosed for that reason.
Further, opponents argue, if this avenue of information is closed, those with malevolent intent will find other ways to get what they need.
"This bill strikes a critical balance between the governmental and business needs for this information and the rights of our consumers to safety and privacy," Boxer said at a press conference when the bills were introduced.
"By focusing this legislation on the personal information...contained within a driver file, the bill does not limit those legitimate organizations in using the information. It does, however, restrict access to all those without a legitimate purpose," Moran said at the press conference.
He conceded, "This bill by itself will not stop stalking. But it will stop state government from being an accomplice to the crime."
An aide to Moran explained that under the "legitimate business" exemption, credentialed journalists could be...