Federal law prohibits the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV or department) from disclosing your personal information to the general public. This law, the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (DPPA), makes it illegal to sell or redisclose personal information obtained from TxDMV motor vehicle records and prohibits the use of the information to contact individuals. The law does allow disclosure to certain authorized entities, including other governmental agencies, the court system, law enforcement, and toll authorities. Private businesses often collect and sell information about you and your vehicle related to your interactions with those entities. Many motor vehicle related businesses capture information about their customers to use or resell to other businesses. These businesses are not covered under federal and state privacy protection laws and thus are not prohibited from selling or redisclosing your information or from contacting you.
Texas law provides additional protection under the Motor Vehicle Records Disclosure Act, and the Public Information Act (Section 552.130). These laws require the department to contract with certain motor vehicle related businesses to provide motor vehicle data to be used for legitimate business activities, such as notifying vehicle owners of towed vehicles, investigating insurance claims, and producing statistical information. The department does not sell personal information for marketing or advertising purposes, and both the DPPA and Texas law specifically prohibit authorized users who have access to the information from contacting individuals and reselling or redisclosing the information. Texas does not have an opt-out option from statutorily authorized data sharing, and the department does not have a process for placing “holds” or “flags” on specific records.
The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles does not maintain driver’s license, driving history, accident, or violation/citation records, only information tied directly to the titling, registration, and permitting of motor vehicles in Texas.