Class Claims Ohio Officials Gave, or Sold|Drivers License Data to Private Firm

CINCINNATI (CN) - Directors of the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles and the Department of Public sold, or gave, drivers' personal information to two companies that sold it again and/or posted it on the Internet, a class action claims in Federal Court.

The class claims the state "disclosed, sold, and/or distributed" their personal information to The Source for Public Data and Shadowsoft, and possibly to others.

The state violated the federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act by doing this, the class claims. The class sued the Henry Guzman, director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety, and Mike Rankin, registrar of the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles. The class did not sue Shadowsoft or The Source for Public Data.

But it claims that Shadowsoft acquired the Ohio database illegally. And it claims Shadowsoft "transferred the database in totum to PublicData."

Public Data aggregates information and sells it over the Internet, according to the complaint, and it did this to the data at issue in this case.

Both defendants are sued in their individual capacity. The class includes anyone who's had an Ohio drivers license since April 8, 2004, and whose personal data was disclosed to Shadowsoft or Public Data.

The class is represented by Eric Deters of Independence, Ky.

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