Here’s a follow-up on a case I mentioned on this blog in September 2010. The court issued its decision and although the court may (or may not) have made a correct ruling, the decision leaves anyone who gets a parking ticket in Palatine, Illinois at greater risk of identity theft:
The Village of Palatine, Illinois prints the personal information of vehicle owners — including their address, driver’s license number, date-of-birth and weight — on parking tickets left under the windshield wipers of their automobiles. In a ruling handed down last month, the Seventh US Circuit Court of Appeals found no problem with this procedure.
Motorist Jason Senne had filed suit against what he saw as an outrageous violation of privacy after he received a $20 parking ticket in August 2010. The information printed on the citation, and left open to anyone walking past his vehicle, could be used by an identity thief. Senne argued this was a violation of the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act which prohibits disclosure or otherwise making available the information found in motor vehicle records.
Read more on The Truth About Cars.