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Comment by hinkley | Hacker News Reader

If you’re in Washington State, chat up the DoL clerk the next time you renew your tabs. They’re not a government office, and they’ve been legislated to only make a couple bucks off of each tab or plate.

If memory serves they make more money off the convenience fee for paying with a credit card than they do off of the licensing.

They basically don’t have a way to turn a net profit. This is exactly the sort of situation that would make someone sell customer data.

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I think the situation that makes the DMV sell their customer data is privatization of the DMV. Why should the DMV have to turn a profit? If they weren't at some point turned into a profit seeking entity, there would be no motivation to make money off their customers personal info.

Indeed, that’s probably the bulk of the problem.

Although we also have police depts padding tickets because some of the revenue comes back to them. You put a measure on anything and people will game it.

Wonder what other states have done privatization... I know I was reading in Texas, driving schools are allowed to give you your driving exam, so you can do the written test online and the driven test with the same driving school you bought your lessons from. I thought that was kinda cool and unique. So be useful if you are an adult who never got their license but don't really have any family or friends to let you use their car for a test. I know someone who refuses to let their adult child have a driver license as long as they still live at home because they fear a rise in insurance rates due to their age. I think i'd be cool if high school had driver ed again like in the old days.

> I know someone who refuses to let their adult child have a driver license as long as they still live at home because they fear a rise in insurance rates due to their age.

That was my situation. I didn't get a license until I was 22, a month or so before I moved out (and the move was planned when I did).

there is no motivation to keep data secret. What we need, is some serious liability for heads of agencies or companies that lose or sell it. Then they will be motivated to keep data secret like it should be. Something reasonable, like 10 years in jail for each piece of data lost/sold without consent. That'll motivate them

I think that's a bit draconian, sounds like a way to ensure only the Facebook's and Google's of the world hold a monopoly as I could see that to discourage entrepreneurs and new startups.

Ok. Then perhaps confiscation of 10% of personal net worth?

It NEEDS to hurt, else it will just be considered a "cost of doing business"

Maybe a little better... I guess if you are a young startup and broke then nothing to lose? If you don't own a house or much in the bank...

But I feel these breaches also make the compaines look bad, so bad PR I think is a big hurt. However at the same time you have no choice to be included or not with some things. Like with LexisNexis or Equifax, since as far as I know I can't tell them to delete all my info and as far as I know I never consented to them having my data.

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