Oklahoma
State Senate
Communications Division
State Capitol
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
405-521-5774
For Immediate Release:
March 11, 2008
Sen. Randy Bass
Sen. Bass Passes Privacy Bill in Senate
Detailed information contained on digital driver licenses is supposed
to be used for public safety purposes—but right now, there
is no law protecting individuals from having that information used
for other purposes, including identity theft.
State Sen. Randy Bass, who previously championed Oklahoma’s
landmark identity theft legislation allowing Oklahomans to freeze
their credit free of charge, has won approval for legislation to
further protect the identity of Oklahomans through legislation aimed
at stopping the practice of electronically swiping driver licenses
and capturing the data to use for marketing purposes. The Senate
voted unanimously to approve Senate Bill 1745 on Tuesday.
“Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in this
country, and new technology keeps making it easier for criminals
to steal your personal information,” sad Bass, D-Lawton. “Someone
can ask to see your driver license as proof of age, and before you
realize it, they’ve scanned all of your information with a
small, portable device.”
Bass said that often occurs in bars, when representatives of tobacco
companies offer free samples, but ask to see the person’s
driver license first. The information is then scanned and used in
direct marketing.
“I think this practice just demonstrates how easy it is to
scan someone’s license without their knowledge and use that
information for identity theft,” Bass said. “My legislation
would make it a misdemeanor to scan a license and to sell or store
the data collected.”
SB 1745’s supporters include the American Cancer Society,
American Heart Association, American Lung Association, Oklahoma
State Medical Association, Oklahoma Hospital Association, Oklahoma
Institute for Child Advocacy, Oklahoma Parent Teacher Association,
AARP and others.
The measure now moves to the House for further consideration.
For more information contact:
Senator Bass' Office: (405) 521-5567
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