SALT LAKE CITY — A new audit criticized Utah’s Driver License Division for disclosing more information than it should, or is required to by law.
The Utah State Auditor’s report also said the Driver License Division doesn’t audit who gets that information, or what they do with it.
The audit, released Tuesday, found DLD shared information with the Utah State Tax Commission, the University of Utah, the Office of State Debt Collection, the Lt. Governor’s Office, the Department of Veterans and Military Affairs, and Intermountain Donor Services. Information ranged from Social Security Numbers and addresses to physical descriptions of people.
The information did not pose a public safety problem, the State Auditor’s Office said, but it urged DLD to stop doing it.
In a response to the audit, the Utah Department of Public Safety indicated the disclosure of “personally identifying information” came down to how you interpret the law.
“Understanding the auditor’s statutory interpretation, DLD identifies the language in the governing statute may be interpreted in various ways. Due to the various legal interpretations of the statutory language, DLD recognizes the intent of the legislature concerning the statutory language could be clarified. Consequently, DLD will work with the legislature to clarify the intent of the statutory language regarding disclosure of PII,” the agency said.
Utah State Auditor John Dougall’s office also said DLD should audit the agencies it hands out the information to. DLD responded that it was understaffed.
“Each of the DLD’s MOUs provide the purpose for sharing the data and also requires the recipient to use the data only for the purposes outlined in the [memorandum of understanding]. DLD recognizes the value of auditing all recipients of its data. Currently, DLD does not have staff dedicated to nor trained in auditing practices as related to this issue. Consequently, DLD will make such auditing and training a priority as opportunities become available to request additional resources,” it said.
Read the audit here:
