Driver License Information for Sale

While this practice is nothing new, the state of South Carolina makes millions of dollars every year selling driver license information. Last fiscal year alone, outside agencies spent $15.6 million on driver license information. The DMV itself does not pocket this money, however, as it all goes to “another state agency” within South Carolina.

One of the major issues is that most people are not aware of the fact that there driver license information is up for sale to these companies. The DMV doesn’t provide “terms and conditions” but most forms feature this message:

“South Carolina and federal law dictates that motor vehicle and driver’s license records maintained by the SCDMV may be disclosed in certain situations. For further details on the disclosure of personal information and the types of information disclosed, go to the SCDMV website www.scdmvonline.com/Privacy.”

Who is buying this information?

Some companies included on the list of buyers are Southern Farm Bureau, SCI, and LexisNexis. What they’re doing with information varies, such SCI redistributing the information to municipal governments and insurance companies using the information to set rates and make sure licenses can be covered by them. Refer to the chart below to see details for each fiscal year: