A class-action lawsuit can be filed against the state of Florida over the sale of individuals’ driver’s license information to a private firm, according to a recent ruling by a federal judge.
According to the lawsuit, the state sold more than 30 million personal records between 2005 and 2009 to Shadowsoft Inc., an Internet marketer based in Texas. The marketing firm then sold the information to other firms that target consumers, according to the Sun Sentinel.
The amount of money the state made off the sale is still unspecified.
Howard Bushman, an attorney with the law firm representing the affected drivers, said Florida residents who are affected should be able to find their information on PublicData.com, a website owned by Shadowsoft Inc.
“You can do a search and see if your name is on there,” he said. “If they sold your information, if stands to reason your name would be there.”
However, complete access to PublicData.com does require a paid account.
The PublicData.com website features a “Where do we get the information?” page. It says:
PublicData.com purchases the information on this site from the appropriate local, state or federal authority or from businesses who have purchased the information. Selling public data is a common practice for most states.
Because it is a class-action suit, all affected parties are automatically part of the lawsuit and there is no action to join required.
