Change the law to prevent the DVLA from selling our personal information

[Randomface74]

I’ve made a petition – will you sign it?

Click this link to sign the petition:
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/550233/sponsors/new?token=jFXe13HAS4yBP7FyfFus

My petition:

Change the law to prevent the DVLA from selling our personal information

The Government have left us with a glaring legal loophole that the worst operators, including those with criminal records, can set up in the parking enforcement industry. They can then gain access to motorists' private information at the DVLA.

The law allows the DVLA to disclose vehicle keeper information to those who can demonstrate a reasonable cause for requiring it. Reasonable cause is not defined in legislation but the Government’s policy is that it should relate to the vehicle or its use, following incidents where there may be liability on the part of the driver. Guidance on what constitutes reasonable cause is published online at https://www.gov.uk/browse/driving/vehicle-and-driver-information

 

[snips86x]

I cannot sign it, based on this:

The law allows the DVLA to disclose vehicle keeper information to those who can demonstrate a reasonable cause for requiring it

I had someone park in my drive a number of years ago. I got a picture of their vehicle, inc license plate, and partially blocked them in. I came down the following morning to a damaged car. Made a request to the DVLA to obtain the drivers information and sent him a letter. He paid for the damage.

While i cannot condone where the details go in relation to organisations, the use of obtaining the details for personal reasons is a good one.

 

[Randomface74]

Thanks for the explanation.

 

[Nasher]

Someone parked on your drive and you didn't drag it out in to the road? wtf

 

[Nasher]

I cannot sign it, based on this:


I had someone park in my drive a number of years ago. I got a picture of their vehicle, inc license plate, and partially blocked them in. I came down the following morning to a damaged car. Made a request to the DVLA to obtain the drivers information and sent him a letter. He paid for the damage.

While i cannot condone where the details go in relation to organisations, the use of obtaining the details for personal reasons is a good one.

Screw that, if someone parked in my drive I'd drag it out in to the road and report it as an abandoned vehicle

 

[d_brennen]

Screw that, if someone parked in my drive I'd drag it out in to the road and report it as an abandoned vehicle

Scrap cars for cash

 

[snips86x]

Screw that, if someone parked in my drive I'd drag it out in to the road and report it as an abandoned vehicle

Due to the location of the drive on a small and tight back road, it wouldn't have been possible. Pretty sure they'd gone to the pub lol

 

[Nasher]

Potato up the exhaust then

 

[Randomface74]

Just to add a bit more background to this, the reason I made this petition is because my mum got an unreasonable parking fine. Threatening letters were sent to her house and she asked me how to deal with it. I looked up the company, and the owner, and googling his name found he was convicted of racially aggravated assault when trying to get someone to pay a parking fine (he threatened to rape a guy's wife if he didn't pay). I tried contacting the BPA, her MP and my MP, someone else's case with the same guy got brought up in the House of Commons, a Select Committee of MPs investigated the whole parking issue - it's been a few years and nothing has changed.

 

[agw_01]

Made a request to the DVLA to obtain the drivers information and sent him a letter.

Just wondering, on what grounds? Surely you had no proof?

So the DVLA released his information based on suspicion?

In that case, sign me up. I don't want anyone being able to get my details based on an assumption.

 

[snips86x]

Just wondering, on what grounds? Surely you had no proof?

So the DVLA released his information based on suspicion?

In that case, sign me up. I don't want anyone being able to get my details based on an assumption.

I had a picture of the car when I partially parked behind it. I purposfully left enough room for him to get out, but being the drunk that he must have been, hit my car on leaving, damaging front wing and light. There was absolutely no way he couldn't have done it - I would post the pic but this was 10 years ago.

 

[Nasher]

Just to add a bit more background to this, the reason I made this petition is because my mum got an unreasonable parking fine. Threatening letters were sent to her house and she asked me how to deal with it. I looked up the company, and the owner, and googling his name found he was convicted of racially aggravated assault when trying to get someone to pay a parking fine (he threatened to rape a guy's wife if he didn't pay). I tried contacting the BPA, her MP and my MP, someone else's case with the same guy got brought up in the House of Commons, a Select Committee of MPs investigated the whole parking issue - it's been a few years and nothing has changed.

Just don't pay and tell him to get lost. If he is known and has a reputation it won't go anywhere.

 

[Randomface74]

That's what I said, but she paid it anyway coz she was scared of the guy. That's not rly the point tho.

The point is we shouldn't have had to deal with it because he shouldn't have been given her address.

 

[Malevolence]

Someone parked on your drive and you didn't drag it out in to the road? wtf

Mate of mine has idiots park on his driveway quite regularly. His drive is one of those that leads up to a large gravelled area in front of his house where he keeps his cars. This one time he came home to find somebody had parked a Mercedes (rather nice AMG A series) halfway up the driveway and as such he couldn't get his motor past. So he simply left his motor parked behind the Merc and locked the heavy wooden gates at the entrance to the driveway. A few hours later he had some irate knobhead and his tart shouting all manner of things over the gate. This guy even phoned the police and accused him of stealing his car. he wasn't too chuffed when the police rocked up and decided there was nothing they could do as it was a civil matter and no law was being broken.

 

[agw_01]

I had a picture of the car when I partially parked behind it. I purposfully left enough room for him to get out, but being the drunk that he must have been, hit my car on leaving, damaging front wing and light. There was absolutely no way he couldn't have done it - I would post the pic but this was 10 years ago.

But still, you had no proof that he actually hit your car.

I totally get where you're coming from but what's to say someone with no morals was to take a picture of my car and ring the DVLA saying I'd driven into them and drove off. I mean, they could always ring their insurer and give them my reg, but the insurer wouldn't just hand out my address over the phone.

The DVLA should only divulge personal details like that to insurance companies or the emergency services.

 

[Nasher]

They shouldn't be selling it to companies, who use it to make a profit. That's the issue :/

Or if they are going to sell my details I want a cut of it

 

[agw_01]

They shouldn't be selling it to companies, who use it to make a profit. That's the issue :/

For me, a bigger issue is the DVLA are happy to give your personal information to any 3rd party as long as you can provide a convincing story.

What's to say some organised car crime gang don't have the same idea if they took a fancy to a particular car.

 

[Nasher]

For me, a bigger issue is the DVLA are happy to give your personal information to any 3rd party as long as you can provide a convincing story.

What's to say some organised car crime gang don't have the same idea if they took a fancy to a particular car.

They probably do use it :/

Maybe not directly themselves, but there are plenty of dodgy parking companies etc around which they can use to access the database.

It's one of the biggest data protection holes around.

 

[snips86x]

But still, you had no proof that he actually hit your car.

I totally get where you're coming from but what's to say someone with no morals was to take a picture of my car and ring the DVLA saying I'd driven into them and drove off. I mean, they could always ring their insurer and give them my reg, but the insurer wouldn't just hand out my address over the phone.

The DVLA should only divulge personal details like that to insurance companies or the emergency services.

Of course I had proof, or the DVLA wouldn't have given me the owners information.

 

[Vanquish-Storm]

Have you got a link to the petition email rather than just the sign it page?