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.